Blue Summer Wind
by lucyglitter11
Summary: Lucy's father sends her to the country side to her aunt's farm for her entire summer holidays. However, she takes it in stride and begins her usual, three month relaxing country holiday. One morning, she sees a young man riding a horse across the fields and she couldn't help but think, how dashing that guy looked on the horse. RoLu, AU. HAPPY BIRTHDAY CELESTIALLOVERXX!
1. Chapter 1

I stepped out of the truck and gazed at the mansion before me. It looked bigger up close than when I saw it from the truck window. The mansion looked like one of those you would find in horror stories, rather than the ones which belonged to nobles. But that's just what I thought. The warm, summer wind welcomed me by ruffling my blond hair.

The driver had long disappeared while I was gaping at the house. I pulled my modest little trunk from the truck by myself because I'm strong and independent and barely avoided dropping it on my foot. As I looked up at the mansion, I felt like the protagonist of a story with a lame beginning. However, I wasn't expecting anything out of this. I had got more than what I had bargained for. All I did was to complain on the first day of vacations; "All my friends are going _somewhere_ for vacations while I sit in the four walls of the room and scroll through Tumblr." That was enough for my father, Jude, to ship me off into slave trade.

Just kidding. At least that would have been exciting.

He did something worse than that. He sent me to our country side ol' barn which had been succeeded from our ancestors to our present generation and now belonged to Aunt Ur. Queue the creepy organ music. It's not the first time I'm visiting my country house. I used to come here in my childhood during the summer, along with both my mother and father. It used to be fun back then, it was a huge family get together and I used to play with my cousin Gray and his friends. But as the years passed, everyone became busy and there was no time for even a video chat. It's kind of sad, but it can't be helped.

Besides, nobody likes the country anymore. It just stinks too much but nobody's going to admit it. I know, I don't seem like the greatest protagonist here, but hey, times change, and I am quite used to the city life. Pizzas and cupcakes are addictive. Nobody lives here permanently anymore except Grandma, so the mansion was looked after by a few care-takers.

I was beginning to think that I would have to make my way inside by myself when I was welcomed by a familiar, warm voice.

"Lucy! Welcome!" Ur said as she climbed down the veranda. Ur, with her short black hair, bright dark eyes, the same old jacket and jeans, looked as young as she was years ago. She pulled me into a hug and then pulled back to look at me like she was examining Fiore's Next Top Model. "It's been five whole years and my, you've grown so much! You were so tiny when I saw you the last time! You look even more beautiful in person than the photographs! Just like your mother!" Ur said excitedly.

I'm sorry Aunt Ur, but all these are cliché lines used by all adults. But of course, I didn't say that to her face because I do like her. And I'm a good girl.

"Hello Aunt Ur! You look gorgeous as before." I smiled.

"Oh, you flatter me, Lucy!" Ur slapped my back too hard and the non-existent breakfast in my tummy threatened to spill out.

"Come on in! Let's get you settled!" Ur said as she beckoned me towards the house.

I tugged at my luggage and dragged it into the house. Hefting it out of the truck? Okay. Bringing it up the porch? Cool. Carrying it up the stairs all the way up to the room? I'm not too sure.

Before I could get the thought of dragging the case and risking brain damage, two strong arms wrapped around the bag and was hefted over the shoulders of none other than my cousin, Gray Fullbuster. But he wasn't the cute teenage boy I knew five years back anymore. He'd grown taller than me by inches (I was taller than him five years ago, sob.), his hair was perfectly spiky and his face was chiseled and handsome. His arms rippled with muscle and I could sense that he definitely had six pack abs under that stupid T shirt. (Don't ask me how).

Even though on the inside I was hundred and one percent sure, I blurted unsurely, "Gray?"

He grinned at me, the same way he did back then, "It's been a while Lucy. Let me give you a hand."

I couldn't believe this was the same cousin with whom I used to play house-house. And also other ungirly games like football and basketball. I followed him into the room which was on the second floor. The room was cleaned, and looked exactly the same as it did five years back. It had been my room then too. Gray smoothly laid the suitcase on the floor and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Ooh, someone's been working out," I said to him jokingly.

Gray grinned once again, "Nah, it's because of all the sports activities at college. Being a part of the basketball team has influenced my life a lot. But I must admit, part of the credit for my skills goes to you," he added as he winked. I tried my best to ignore my hammering heart. Stop it Lucy, he's your cousin damn it, I punched myself mentally.

He walked out of my room and stood at the door expectantly. "What is it?" I asked him.

"I brought your luggage till here. Did you think it was for free?" he smirked.

I laughed, "Sorry! I'm given a travel card which I'm supposed to use only for emergencies. But if you really want something, would you like to try some cookies from Mrs. Fernandez? I met her on the way." I asked smugly as I held up the parcel.

Gray made a sour face, "I'll ask for it when I need a stomach ache for a holiday from school." We both laughed and gave each other a fist-bump. "I'm sure you'll have a great summer. And you owe me one alright?" he disappeared downstairs. I noted how he said 'you' rather than 'we'.

I closed the door and threw myself on the bed. My stomach rumbled in hunger so loud that I thanked her for keeping quiet when I was talking to Gray. It was past noon but I didn't want to ask for food right away. My eye lids were heavy and before I could get the idea of opening my luggage or freshen up myself, I fell asleep.

* * *

Apparently, I snored. That's what Ur told me when she came to wake me up for supper. Thankfully, she didn't mention anything about drooling, but the edge of my mouth felt suspiciously wet when I came to be. More importantly, she didn't think much of it. I guess she sensed that travelling was tiring.

She had prepared my favorite mushroom soup and spaghetti. Did I mention she's the best cook? I was just about to dig in when my cousin walked in. Shirtless. And I was proved right about the abs. It was a spectacular sight. Damn, he was _hot._

I must have said that aloud because both Ur, who was washing the dishes _and_ talking on the phone and Gray's head shot towards me, "What?"

Stupid, _stupid,_ Lucy. I punched myself mentally for that. I quickly covered up by saying; "Hot soup! The soup is really hot!" and I started blowing over my spoon to prove my point. I mentally punched myself twice for that. Gray, the hot soup. Then thrice for thinking that my cousin looked hot.

"Oh", they said and went back to their works. Before that Ur yelled at her son, still on line in the phone, "Gray! Don't walk around shirtless with ladies in the house! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

Poor Gray. He glanced at his bared chest and yelped and ran off maybe to find his lost shirt or maybe in embarrassment. Well, of course he would be embarrassed because someone on line had probably heard it and was having a good laugh.

Someone sighed next to me which made me jump, "Kids these days," I looked over and two seats away from me, was Grandma Mavis, the true owner of the barn. It was scary how I hadn't noticed her at all. Her long whitish blond hair in a bun, emerald green eyes which always sparked with mischief, but her face had more wrinkles than before and I could see the green veins in her bony hands.

I greeted her with a smile, "Hi Grandma! How are you? I'm sorry I couldn't come in to greet you earlier."

"Dear, you don't need to be so polite with me. Besides, I'm tired of people asking me how I am. You should ask how are you to those are ill and excuse me, I'm perfectly fine!" Mavis grumbled, her voice shrill.

I laughed and raised my hands in defense, "Right, I'm sorry."

"I just averted my eyes for a minute and you've grown so much! Looking like a proper lady now, just like Layla. I hope you act like one now! And I sure hope you've washed your pretty little hands before you gobble down that food!" she began criticizing me just a minute into our conversation.

I rolled my eyes, "Yes Grandma."

"Don't you roll your eyes at me. When you were younger you used to play in the backyard in the mud with the piglets and then eat food with those muddy hands." And she jumped into an old embarrassing story from my childhood. I felt glad that Gray wasn't around to hear what Grandma was saying, and even that Ur wasn't paying much attention as she was on the phone. I had almost forgotten how Grandma Mavis could be… stingy. Some useful advice: Avoid grannies. They'll remind you of some really embarrassing childhood memory which you tried to bury or jump into their olden golden days like 'Why back in my time…'  
Fortunately, she wasn't the one to talk on the latter.

She got up from the chair and was about the leave the kitchen (and let me eat me in peace) before she pulled my head into a hug. I could swear she mumbled, "Glad to have you back here." Or something like that.

I couldn't help but smile to myself.

I ate the rest of my meal in silence as Ur continued talking on the phone. Even after I finished eating, Gray did not come back. I suppose Gray's pursuit with his shirt hadn't ended. I thanked Ur, who had just finished talking on the phone and went upstairs to my room. On the way upstairs, I heard Grandma yelling at the television in the living room. I sighed as closed the door behind me. I couldn't help but feel a tad bit lonely, but I already knew that would happen even after finding out that Gray would be around. I had to embrace it because it was just the beginning of your usual two month relaxing country holiday.

* * *

I couldn't sleep a wink. Not because I was feeling lonely or missed my room. The thing about sleeping in the day is that it makes it impossible to sleep at night. I tried my best to make myself feel sleepy. I opened up my luggage and put them neatly in the cupboard (yes, I am a neat freak). I tried watching videos on YouTube, but the darn net didn't work at all because there was no reception (I shudder to think about it again because it means that I can't keep myself occupied by using my phone or laptop). I tried reading but I just couldn't make myself read. And just after I dozed off for a few minutes, a hen screeched outside the house though it felt like it was in my room above my head.

After that my sleep vanished. No matter what, I just couldn't go back to sleep and it was just 6 o clock. Stupid hen. I will find you and eat you. Just kidding, I'm a vegetarian because I'm kind and I love animals.

After a quick breakfast (I chatted with Ur for a bit, who was awake and ready for action) a shower and an encounter with clothed hot soup with bed hair Gray who had just woken up and Grandma Mavis (who was heading for a soak in the tub after me in line) I was back to my room. Now that I was in the country side, I was going to take full advantage of this situation. I was going to look for inspirations for my novel.

During school days I could barely write short stories, but now that the holidays had arrived with plenty of free time and a (cough) beautiful mansion and nature around me, I couldn't wait to write a full-fledged one.

I sat before my old little table on a stool, placed a fresh bundle of papers along with my favorite ink pen which once belonged to my mother. The cup of coffee I had brewed for myself lay before the blank papers. I know, it seemed a bit old fashioned of me, but I liked to do it that way. It made me feel close to being a writer even though I wasn't one yet.  
I heard the car engine start downstairs and from the window directly in front of me I saw Ur drive out of the garage. She told me earlier in the morning that she was working in a library in Clover downtown as a part-timer, and if I wanted to give a visit I could ask Gray to take me there. Considering it was still 7 AM, I knew he was back in his room, snoring away. Why? Well his room is right below mine and I can hear him.

I just hope I didn't snore _that_ loudly yesterday.

As soon as I lifted my pen, an idea struck me and I began right away. I had written down about seven pages when my flow of thoughts stopped. I settled my pen down and shuffled back to the first page. As I read them over again, it left me with an unsatisfied feeling. It didn't have the kind of spark which made the person curious to read more. Even if it did, the flow of ideas in my mind had come to a sudden halt, as I couldn't figure out what to write anymore.

Soon, I began dazing as I stared outside at the sky which was slowly turning from red to blue. The sky was void of any clouds making it quite a sunny day. I was blankly staring at the sky, when the whining of a horse pulled my attention back to the ground.

I blinked as I could still see some sunny spots, when the spots disappeared; I saw a horse running along on the field across our house. The horse was a beautiful white one; and riding atop him was a man. When I saw the black mane of hair, I thought it was Gray, but it wasn't him. This guy's hair grew all the way down to his neck and was a darker shade of black. He was sturdily built and he held his shoulder and face high, looking forward with a focused and determined gaze. His skin seemed pale, even from such a distance. His strong arms which seemed to ripple with muscles, even under the cursed jacket, held the reins steadily with composure. Even as he tugged the reins, in no way was he ruthless. In fact, he seemed to be gentle and passionate both at the same time. The mystery guy rode over and vanished.

I pulled myself away from the window; I blushed in embarrassment, as I hadn't realized that I had stuck my face to the window to look at him. But I was on the second floor, so he definitely couldn't have seen me. Besides, he didn't even glance anywhere else other than straight forward. A dreamy sigh escaped my lips. The sound of the gallop of the horse still echoed in my ears and the picture of his strong back was fixed before my eyes as I stared at the blank pages on my desk. My cup of coffee had gone cold.

I wanted to see him for some more time.

* * *

Oh I saw him many times alright and sometimes a little more than I deserved. I woke up at 6AM again (I swear, it was the hen!) and by the time Ur would drive out of the garage and I was at the window at 8 AM, he was there, riding the same white horse in all glory. Literally, in all glory.

I had never seen anyone ride a horse this elegantly before, even though I have never seen anyone ride a horse before. He would ride the horse around the huge fields; he would stop at the barn far across, stroke the animal and feed it. Then he would disappear into the barn house for a long time. I would watch him trudge down the road and he would mysteriously disappear.

This went on for about a week. I began noticing small things like how his hair would fly off his face due to a sudden wind and a silent pleasure would pass over his face. Sometimes he tied a pony tail out of his messy hair (I barely stopped myself from squealing Gray awake.) One time, the horse nuzzled lovingly into his face and out of surprise he fell into the mud bath of the pigs, my childhood friends. Calmly, he stripped off his shirt, leaving me in disarray. As my hunches, his body was strong with abs and all that. I had to remind myself to breathe.

First Gray, and now the mystery guy, seems like I'm in luck.

I know, I sound like such a stalker right now, but I just can't help it. He's just so… _mesmerizing._ I couldn't get the picture of him on the horse out of my head. He looked so dashing; it was difficult not to look at him. For nights, I lay awake, staring at the cracking ceiling. The nights in the country were utterly silent, except the crickets, but I was always absorbed in my own thoughts. The traces of my dead dreams were the graceful image on the mystery guy on the horse.

* * *

I finally plucked the courage to go out there and talk to him. Because I'm confident and a charming girl. Before that, I obviously did some research. He could be a psycho criminal on the loose who loved animals, so I wasn't gonna take any chances. However, I could admit my sources weren't reliable. I inquired casually the cook Mr. Arnold, Mrs. Spetto the house keeping lady and Mr. Connell who occasionally looked after the animals and the fields (considering how the mystery guy did half of the work).

None of them knew about any dashing guy who went berserk on one of our horses in the morning.

This house needed some discipline. Even though I'm not a morning person (which teenager from the city is?), I'm ready for action at 7 AM while these folks continue sleeping even after the hen screeches.  
Maybe they eat the hen after every morning and a new one shows up thinking that I'm the one eating its family.

I wore my best jeans and my lucky pink top of Heart Kruez brand. I tied my hair in a ponytail and applied some lip gloss on my lips and some cologne. Then I took a selfie because Dad was begging me to send him one of my photos (Grandma Mavis taught me about a miraculous WiFi in the house) because he claimed to miss me. Well he should have thought that before shipping me off here by myself. But he sent me some funny snaps while he cooked on his own and ended up ordering the food anyway. He's the worst cook ever. Now that I think about it, maybe he's missing me cause I'm not around to cook him food.  
This selfish, selfish world.

Anyway, I'm sure he won't suspect anything fishy about his daughter dolling up early in the morning which she usually never does.

Here goes nothing.

I walked downstairs and outside the sleepy little house. It was still 7:30, and the sun was still rising from behind the mountains so the sun rays hadn't hit the ground yet. Aunt Ur had already left for her work, as it took quite some time to reach the town. I took a deep breath, and looked around; the mystery guy hadn't arrived yet. I decided to take a stroll along the fields where he would accidentally stumble upon a beautiful maiden that is me. I know, that is like counting the eggs before the eggs are laid. That reminds me, I need to find that hen and politely ask it to shut up because I really needed my beauty sleep for such days.

Even after taking two rounds of the fields, he did not show up, so I decided to go to the animal barn. On reaching there, there were no animals in sight. I sat up on a huge stone and started wondering if the guy was just a fragment of my imagination for all these days. That would explain why he just miraculously disappeared. Or maybe he was a ghost. A handsome ghost haunting my sweet old mansion. It was kind of cool for a blockbuster novel, but did not sound that amazing if you're sitting alone in a sort of run down animal barn.

A sudden gust of morning breeze made me shiver. Just when I was about to give up hopes of seeing him, I heard the whiny of a horse. I stood up and there he was, the mystery guy, riding the same white horse across the fields. My eyes followed him while he rode the horse until he took notice of me, which suddenly made me feel self-conscious. I expected him to smile and ride over for a chat but he simply pointed at me and continued riding his horse.

I was completely baffled. With my luck, maybe some bird had pooped on my head and I hadn't realized, or maybe I was wearing my shirt inside out or I looked like some sort of wild animal. Like you know in safaris you spot an animal like- "Oh look, a kangaroo. I spotted that one first!"

After confirming that I was still human, the guy pointed at me again and mouthed, 'Behind you'. I don't remember quite well what exactly happened, but I instinctively ran as soon as I realized that there was a bull standing right behind me.

As I ran, the bull continued chasing me around the barn. The rope which harbored it at one place had gone loose, thus chasing me effortlessly. When the bull was closing in on me, I began screaming my head off. I'm sure I looked like a complete idiot. The mystery guy rode over to me and I ran overhead past him as he quickly got off the horse and ran over to pull back the rope and tie the bull to its place. I finally stopped as the bull was firmed tied and fed to prevent it from struggling. I walked over slowly to the guy who was bent down and feeding the bull, his back facing me.

"Wh-Where did it come from?" I asked.

"I let it out from the back door." He said, his back still facing me.

"Oh." was all I could reply.

After what seemed like an eternity, he stood up to look at me. He looked even more handsome up close. He stood tall with certitude and was lean and rugged. His raven-black hair fell over the left side of his face, completely covering his left eye. A scar ran along his nose and he had a prominent chin, which added to his determined look, giving him an aura of sensibility. He wore a white shirt with plaids over which he wore a waist coat of a darker shade of blue and brown corduroy pants with armed boots.  
A sudden gust of wind blew his hair behind and I could see the windows to his soul. His eyes gave away his gentleness, and similarly that drew me towards him. They were red irises, the color of a red rose in prime, with slits like those of a cat.

His voice carried a deep baritone, "Are you alright, Miss?"

I think he asked me that because I looked kind of dazed, or because I had been chased by a full grown bull. If it was the latter, I'd think he was an idiot. Words from my mouth barely came out as a whisper, "Yes, thank you."

He looked at the bull with uncertainty, "Taurus seldom does something like that. Don't know what got into him today. Unless…" he was going to say something but then thought against it. "Never mind."

I nodded, utterly tongue-tied. Now that I was facing him I had no idea how to strike a conversation. I smiled a bit awkwardly, "Taurus, as in the sun sign?"

"Yes, that is correct." he said very much indifferently. He seemed quite uninterested and cold. He stared at me piercingly which make me a bit uncomfortable which was followed by awkward silence. The horse whinnied as if to say, 'Hey man, you gonna hitch this ride or what?'

He nodded to me and said, "Be careful around them. Especially the bull." Then proceeded to walk to his horse and climb over. Before he could do so, I yelled, "Wait!" in a more commanding tone than I intended. Well, I wasn't letting him go until I at least knew his name. That was easier thought than asked.

He stopped in his tracks and looked at me, "What is it?"

I cursed inwardly as I tried to think of something, "I… I was wondering if you worked here…"

The mystery guy looked at me questioningly, and then shrugged, "You could say so."

"Does that mean you live here?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation up.

"Somewhere around," The mystery guy also spoke in riddles, like an enigma. Well, what could I expect from a guy who vanishes mysteriously?

"Why are you looking after the animals? We've got care-takers in the house to do that." I said. He looked alarmed. Before I could say anything more he asked, "Are you Miss Heartfilia?"

The fact that he knew my surname should have alarmed me too. I knew I should have lied, but his eyes tempted me to tell the truth. I simply nodded.

"I knew it." He said, his voice turning ice-cold. "All you city girls are the same. Always prying into other people's lives like it's no one's business. Give me a break." He walked off to the fields leaving me behind. I'd never been this confused in my life. All I was trying to tell him was he didn't need to do it as a compulsion (and a handsome guy like him needn't), but I didn't realize that maybe he was actually enjoying it and doing it out of his own will.

I tried to yell out to him and run after him but something tugged strongly at my jeans and I found myself falling and landing on my butt on a mud puddle. The pigs, which had appeared out of nowhere, oinked at me in glee. How nostalgic.

I heard the guy curse and grumble as he walked back towards me and held out his hand in defiance. I accepted it and he pulled me back to my feet into his arms. Before I could feel embarrassed about it, he pulled me back at an arm's length and gave me a look of anger.

"Are you an idiot?! Don't wear heavy perfume around animals! That's the reason why they're all behind you! And if you can't watch your step then don't get out of the house!" he yelled into my face which made me cringe.

That was the last straw. I ran away from him into the house.

* * *

A/N: Don't worry that's not the end. I'm not gonna lie. I'm a lazy person who gets distracted very easily. This was supposed to be a one shot but it's turning out to be rather long and I couldn't finish it on time (IM SO SORRY!) I will update in this week itself...probably.

Well I hope you've forgiven me and also hopefully you liked the story till now. Anywayz, HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAINA! CUT CUTE CAKES AND GIMME SOME TOO! ITS BEEN 4 YEARS (I think) FOUR CHEERS TO OUR FRIENDSHIP HIPHIP HORRAY!

This is the first time I'm writing a story in this format (you may have noticed) it's inspired from your style and TA-DAH at this point it's obviously RoLu one pairing I've never written a word about lol. Also the first time I'm writing about Rogue (he's always a cameo appearance in my stories XD)

Hope you have a great birthday! :-)


	2. Chapter 2

I did just as he said. I stayed in the house for three whole days. I didn't even look outside the window anymore. In the morning, I ignored the hen and the constant sound of galloping of the horse (Thank goodness for music). The rest of the day I moped around in my room in my PJs, having nothing much to do. I had no motivation to either write or read. I did not dare speak a word about the mystery guy to anyone. . Ur sensed something odd about me, but she decided to leave me alone, for which I was glad. I used to see Gray in the mornings and evenings, as he said 'I'm leaving' while going and 'I'm home' when he came back. He asked me quite a few times if I wanted to come along with him, but he didn't force me to. He always brought me ice-cream when he came back home. Usually, I would sit with Grandma before the television and watch crappy daily soaps. They didn't make me feel any better.

I didn't even understand why I was feeling so miserable when it wasn't even my mistake. I buried my face in the pillow as I recalled what he said, _"All you city girls are the same. Always prying in other people's lives like it's no one's business. Give me a break."_

Anger surged up inside of me. There was no reason for me to mope around. Besides, he was the one acting like a jerk. I had stayed away for three days. He got enough of a _break_. Besides, this was my vacation, my house and the place where I spent my childhood days before he arrived. I will not let him spoil this for me. He will not drive me away.

* * *

I sneaked out through the back door of the kitchen when Aunt Ur and Grandma Mavis were watching the daily soap operas. Even though it was just 8 o' clock, the stars were shining bright in the country sky.

There wasn't really any reason for me to sneak, if you consider wearing boots over PJ's acceptable to roam around outside in. I trudged over the soiled path over to the animal barn I had been to three days back. I opened the huge doors as quietly as I could and tip-toed inside as I didn't want another bull incident (I even sniffed myself for any trace of perfume). There were animal grunts everywhere. I looked around for a flight of stairs, which I'm sure, was definitely there if this barn was still the same.

I spotted it hidden behind a big stack of hay at the end of the barn. I made my way up the stairs by kicking the hay away. It was dark in the little room. It was surprisingly cool in contrast to the hot air outside. I made my way into the room with the help of the little moonlight that entered the small window. It opened to a rich display of stars that looked brighter than it did from the mansion. I fell to my knees before the wonderful sight which lifted my spirits. A wave of nostalgia hit me as I recalled the days when I would come here to play as a kid. My mother had showed me this room when we were here and instantly fell in love with it. It was my secret room.

However, I was pulled away from my memories when I felt my hair being pulled. I jumped when I saw that a goat was chomping on my hair.

"Oh come on! Hair shampoo shouldn't count!" I groaned as I recalled using a new strawberry flavored shampoo for my hair. "Okay, good Goat, leave my hair alone." I said slowly pulling my hair away from it.

Suddenly I heard more sounds of hooves and I realized that this wasn't the only goat that had followed me. I was surrounded by goats. So I screamed like a rational person would if he were surrounded by goats in a small suffocating room in darkness.

Then I heard footsteps. At the small doorway, a big, dark figure appeared whose face I couldn't see because it was pitch dark. So I screamed even louder, if possible.

"Miss Heartfilia, don't worry, it's me!"

A candle was lit and in the light illuminated the face of Mr. Connell, the barn keeper. He began shooing the goats downstairs.

Okay, I'll admit it. I panicked and perhaps overreacted like some girl would in a horror movie but _I was surprised okay._ I was quickly ashamed of my childish behavior and apologized profusely to Mr. Connell for making him feel like he was a murderer.

"It's quite normal for you to react like that Miss Heartfilia." Mr. Connell said kindly. "I'm sorry as well, if I terrified you back there," he rubbed his neck awkwardly, "I should buy a torch sooner."

"Ah, no it's my fault Mr. Connell! I'm such a scaredy cat," I said feeling embarrassed. "And I shouldn't be here at this time…I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Oh no, Miss Heartfilia! Please don't apologize to me, after all you are the owner!" he exclaimed. I nodded absent mindedly. "What were you doing here at this time Mr. Connell?" I asked politely, not meaning to sound bossy.

"I came to check on the animals for the last time before closing the barn and found half of the goats missing. And I found the attic open so I followed…" he was silent after that.

I asked Mr. Connell, "Mr. Connell, why do you look after animals?" I was immediately embarrassed for asking such a question and wanted to smack myself for asking that since it probably sounded rude.

He looked surprised at the sudden question. "Well, since it's my job…" he said while I prepared to slap myself between my eyes. Then he said, "Besides that, I think it's because it has a calming effect on me. Animals are beautiful creatures."

I could only blink and tip my head in thought to that answer. That didn't diffuse my confusion.

* * *

I almost felt like Grandma Mavis was waiting for me. So instead of taking that stupid detour through the back door that screeched, I confidently strode up to the porch where the dim golden light flickered with Grandma Mavis on the rocking chair.

"Did you rock it with the goats?" That was not very nice of her to say when _she_ was the one on the rocking chair.

"Yep," I said as I swung myself over the railing of the porch. For a while we were just silent as we heard the sound of the crickets.

"Is there something on your mind?" she asked gently.

I stared at my feet, "Nothing in particular I guess." I said, not wanting to trouble her with trivial matters. Like a handsome horse rider looking after our barn without permission.

She sighed and moved slightly. Then I suddenly found myself asking, "Hey Grandma, what do you like so much about this place?" It felt awkward to leave it at that so I added, "I mean, why don't you come live with us? I'm sure Dad wouldn't mind either."

She answered after thinking, "Well, I was born here, and it's been our traditional house for decades. It's peaceful and quiet. Lovely place don't you think?" she asked but I continued to stare about my boots.

"And this place is connected to many memories." She sighed. "You see, everything here leads to a memory. It's hard to let go,"

"Don't you feel lonely?" I asked turning to look at her. A soft wind blew making the wind chime on the porch move soundlessly. It was the wind chime I had hung with father many years back. He had lifted me on his shoulders so that I could put it up.

"I do." She said softly. "But I simply cannot make myself abandon this place." Her hazel eyes closed as if lost in those memories.

"Do you think…do you think that the city life is no good?" I asked, not sure how to put forth the question properly. "I mean, is life here better?"

"Ah." She gasped opening her eyes and smiled, "isn't that a question you should be able to answer?"

"How should I know," I pouted childishly.

"Then why don't you try to find out?" she asked leaning forward and winking.

Try _wha_ t though...?

* * *

I woke up at the crack of dawn and dressed myself with a red pleated skirt, a black noodle strap top and brown knee high boots and tied my usual ponytail with a red ribbon. I walked downstairs and greeted Aunt Ur with a cheerful good morning as she got ready for her job. I felt refreshed to be outside the house early in the morning. With long strides, I walked to the store room near the barn, picked up a bucket full of fodder and fresh water, and made my way into the barn.

It had been a week since I began working at the barn. For free. Well, nobody was going to pay me anyway. Okay, okay, I was just doing it because I had tons of free time. And I love animals. And I was just a bit curious. About what? I'm not sure yet.

Fortunately, on the inside it wasn't as run down as it looked from outside and it wasn't as smelly as I thought it would be. There were stacks of hay piled up almost everywhere I glanced upon. Once inside, the animals seemed to become aware of my presence. Each animal grunted out its own sound. I got to work as I hummed the song 'Just believe in myself'.

I must admit, it was actually fun looking after the animals ranging from the sheep, the hens (I caught one hen in the middle of its call), the cows and the bulls including Taurus (thankfully, he didn't try to chase me again) and my childhood buddies the pigs. The sheep bleated at each other, and I laughed at an imaginary conversation I built in my head. I went to the stables which were behind the barn in the open. The white horse which the mystery guy rode was seated on a bed of hay. It looked up at me, whinnied and lay its head down as I changed the water and replenished the stock of fodder.

I didn't realized this, but apparently, we sold farm produce in the town and that's what constitutes Grandma's income. I learned this from one guy who came to collect the goods and deliver it to the town on this big truck. So we produced, eggs, milk, some saplings, grains, fruits like berries and occasionally wool. We even rented out horses to other farms, though we didn't have a big collection. So apart from cleaning around the barn, I learned to pick good eggs, milk the cow, pick berries and plant saplings.

Back in the barn, I climbed up the wooden stairs and opened one of the windows. The hens all huddled in their nests clucked at me and began walking and flying randomly. Some of them tried to climb over me, but I swatted at them playfully.

I let out the pigs from the barn so that they could have splash in the mud. They oinked and grunted at me, as if inviting me to join them again. I let out a laugh, "Not today, friends." The sun had risen filling the barn with bright sunlight, and the animals ran around enjoying the sun.

The neigh of a horse filled the air with sound, and once again I heard the running of the horse. I went to the topmost floor of the barn. Nostalgia hit me as I climbed into the small room with the low glass ceiling. When I was younger, I was right about the size of the room, now I was taller. This was my hiding spot whenever I played hide-n-seek with my cousins.

There was a bed of hay still facing the small rectangular window of the building. From it, I could view the mountains, fields and the mansion, even better than from my room. Of course, I saw the 'prince charming' on his horse, as usual. I wondered why he loved riding that specific horse so much. Actually, why was he obsessed with horse riding anyway? What did he mean by _'all city girls are the same'_?

All these questions just pointed out to a truth. He was right. I was trying to pry into his life, and I had no business to do so.

* * *

He walked into the barn while I was cleaning the sheds. I did not stop raking even when he stopped to look at me in question. He sighed softly, "What are you doing?"

My voice came out muffled from behind the cloth I had tied to cover my mouth and nose, "Sweeping, as you see."

When I looked up again, he had vanished. Goodness, he's got crazy transportation powers. But alas, he hadn't vanished. I jumped when I realized he was standing behind me.

I let out a gasp of surprise, "When did you-!?"

"Why?" he simply asked. The reply died at my throat. I couldn't get words out of my mouth.

He pulled the cloth from my face and turned away from me, "You needn't do all this, so mind your business."

This time I wasn't going to let myself stand there quietly. I will not be ordered around. "I will do what I like." I said defiantly.

He looked stunned to reply back. In response, he let go of my handkerchief, which I caught in mid-air. He didn't return till dusk.

* * *

Somebody was calling out to me. Before me were grassy fields and I was under the shade of a cherry blossom tree. The wind was blowing strongly, pushing the hair out of my face and filling the air with flower petals. The source of the voice was above me, over the tree. The leaves of the tree rustled and sunlight peered from between the branches and leaves.

"Finally you're awake," the sunlight cast a shadow over his face so couldn't see it, but I knew it was him.

Suddenly, I was surrounded by all the animals from the barn house. They talked to me in human voices, in voices of Gray, Aunt Ur and Grandma Mavis.

My eyes snapped open when I heard, "Not bad," I straightened up and realized that I had fallen asleep over the makeshift desk I had made out of the piles of hay. I took a moment to realize that the mystery guy was sitting in front of me, cross-legged, eyes trailing over a sheet of paper. That sheet of paper being _my manuscript_. "Hey!" I yelled as pulled it away from his hand and began piling up the papers together.

I picked up my belongings while he sat as still as a photograph. I picked up the candle stand and before going down the stairs I said to him, "Don't read other people's personal things without permission."

And the candle which was creating elongated shadows in the room was blown away as I descended down the stairs, leaving us with only the stars and moonlight to guide us.

* * *

I reached the porch just as the car was retreating into the garage. I waited for Gray till he caught up with me, his fingers playing with the car keys. "Been out today?" he asked.

"Yeah." I replied as I walked in the house as Gray opened the door for me.

"Looking after the barn?"

"Yes."

He stopped at the stairs and looked at me hesitantly and said, "I know you've got your work to do…but could reserve some time with me tomorrow?"

I was not surprised at his request. I had rejected him for over a week. He looked quite desperate. "What for?" I asked him, playing around a bit.

"Um, well, there's a new club that's opened up in the town, so I thought we could go there together and ever since you came here you haven't spent any time with me at all. Also, you owe me one, remember?" he added quickly in the end.

"Actually you didn't seem quite interested to spend time with me," I said innocently. He tried to mask the hurt on his face.

I burst out laughing, "Okay, okay, what time?"

He brightened up, "Be ready at 4'o clock in the evening." He was about to head upstairs but stopped and said, "Oh and you would want to dress fancy. You don't know, these days even country people have got some style."

"Gotcha." I winked.

* * *

After having a blast with my animal buddies (we did a full on Disney throw back as we sang all the songs from 'A wish is what your heart makes' to 'Let it Go'), I went to my room in the mid-afternoon to get ready to go to the club with Gray. I was glad I had carried one fancy dress on the assumption that Grandma Mavis would throw a tea party or Aunt Ur would call a kitty party. I suppose they were over with those things.

I wore a simple white dress which fell till my knees and showed off my bare back, topped with a shrug and golden heels and a pearl necklace curled around my neck. I carried a small handbag with my cell phone and travel card in it.

Then I took a selfie because hash tag- #party, #selfie, #ilookpretty, #nomakeup, #iwokeuplikethis, #gimmelikesguysi'malldressedup. Snort.

I was looking at my reflection in the mirror and contemplating whether I should wear some lip gloss when Gray knocked on the door.

"Lucy? Are you ready?"

I dumped the lip gloss in my bag and opened the door, "Yep, let's go. Wait whoa." I took in Gray's appearance. He was wearing a suit with a blue tie but his hair had the same spiky look.

"Look who's all dressed up." I smirked at him.

"I could say the same for you," Gray smirked back. He held out his elbow, "Ready for some fun, partner?"

I linked my arm with his, "You bet." I grinned.

When we reached downstairs Grandma Mavis and Aunt Ur were waiting for us. It was Sunday so Ur was home. (Forgetting days of the week in vacations is common alright.) Both of them pulled me into a bone-crushing hug while Gray snickered at this.

"My darlings! They're finally going somewhere together just like old days!" Aunt Ur sighed dreamily. "Only this time they're not playing in the gruel and mud, but dressing sophisticatedly." She added in the end as she laughed.

"You look lovely, Lucy dear. Dapper suit Gray," Grandma hit Gray on his back which made even him lurch forward. This time it was my turn to laugh.

"Come on, let's click a photo!" Aunt Ur said as she pulled out an old fashioned camera, the ones with the reel.

Gray blushed, "Mom, there is no need to."

"I think we should. It'll be like a commemorative photograph. It shall go down the ages since we look so amazing." I said which brought out collective smiles.

Gray sighed, "Alright where do you want us to stand?"

* * *

"Geez, if Mom had her way, she would do a big photo shoot!" Gray said as he opened the garage. Indeed, Aunt Ur made us try various poses like we were going to prom or something. We boarded the car but just before we moved out of the garage, a soft gasp escaped my lips as I noticed the mystery guy on the field. He was brushing the mane of the white horse softly, but all my attention was on his face. He was smiling. I realized that I never seen him smile so widely. He looked so peaceful and genuinely…well…happy.

"Looks like you've met Mr. Animal lover," Gray said which brought me back to the car. He gave me an amused look. I dipped my head to the left and told him to just start the car.

We didn't talk until we hit the road. He was a smooth driver. "He's Mr. Connell's nephew." Gray said. "Mr. Connell has been taking a course at the Town Hall to qualify for a better job since working only as a caretaker doesn't give him much of an earning to look after his family. And so his nephew, Rogue, began looking after the farm and the animals, unofficially. But of course, he loves doing it."

"Rogue." The name settled in my head and I repeated it over and over again. I finally knew his name, but not from his mouth. So he was doing the work so that he could help his family.

"Yep, that's him. Don't tell me you didn't know his name," Gray said indifferently and when I lowered my head, he clucked at me in disapproval.

"How do you know him? How did you know that I know him?" I asked because I really hadn't spoken a word about it.

"The answer to the first question, I came here before you and I met him while I was roaming around to see the house. Answer to the second question, I saw the whole scene from the window. The bull chase - really unfortunate."

I was too stunned to reply because-

The bull chase if recorded would have gone viral.

I was trash talked for being an innocent city girl.

I fell on my butt in a mud bath.

And last but and the most important-

I probably looked like the biggest _idiot._

"Look it's alright. We all have our one moment." He said as he ran a hand in his hair.

"I had three of them." I said sulkily. Gray looked like he was suppressing a laugh, and he didn't laugh, so I appreciated it.

"Rogue can be a bit…well, rude. But he's not a bad guy."

"I know." I replied back. And in my heart I knew, because a person with a smile like that cannot be bad. A person gentle with animals can _definitely_ not be bad.

"I knew it." He muttered. I gave him a confused look as he grinned at me mischievously, "You fancy him, don't you?"

I could feel the heat of my steaming face, "N-No I don't!"

"You're even blushing!" he laughed as he pointed one hand as my face keeping the other hand on the steering wheel and still keeping an eye on the empty road (thankfully.)

"I'm not! I-I'm just a bit curious about him, alright?" I huffed as I turned my head to look outside the window. "Enough chat about me. I've always wanted to ask _you_ \- where do you always go in the car? I mean you leave in the afternoon and come back after sunset. Are you working too?"

"Not exactly..." He said nervously. "Okay I'll have to tell you now or then,"

Raising a brow, I voiced out my exact thoughts, "What on earth are you babbling?"

"The truth is, there's this girl-"

I couldn't help myself. I squealed loudly as Gray tried to close his ears but to no avail as he was driving. However, the car did lurch to the side.

"Heavens! I thought I was close to that now!" he exhaled as he steadied the car.

I was truly apologetic for my ill-mannered behavior. Not.

"So as I was saying, there's this girl I met," he said looking at the windscreen but I knew his mind was far away (which was sweet but probably dangerous while driving), "She's really kind and honest, and her smile…" he sighed, "Dazzling."

"You're in love." I said gently. It was all written over his face. In the pits of my heart, I wished someone would think of me with that look on the face. He didn't deny it, just smiled. He looked so cute. "Who is this lucky girl?" I grinned.

"If you remember, she was one of our playmates five years back. Remember the petite one with blue hair? She carried a rain doll with her?"

"You don't mean…Juvia!?" I gasped out. As far as I remembered, _she_ was the one crazy behind Gray. She used to follow him around saying 'Gray-sama' and tried to get him play house-house with her. But at that time, Gray thought girls had cooties or something or was in his 'girls are stupid' stage or 'manly boys' (whatever that is) and only played with me because I was his sister and some other boys. Juvia, for some reason, always thought I was her love rival even though Gray and I were technically cousins.

She was scary.

Well I guess tables turn in life for real, huh.

"Yeah. Juvia Lockser. I was surprised she remembered me. That time I was just so…" he shuddered. The look on my face must have been apprehensive, so he quickly defended her, "She's not the same as before, alright! She's changed a lot and she's really nice!"

"Well, if you say so," I laughed nervously.

"But, she might still consider you a love rival or something since you've become-"he stopped himself. "Since you've become a graceful young lady yourself." He said at last.

"You think so?" I raised a brow.

"Of course." He grinned.

For a while we drove in silence. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon. Then I asked, "Have you told her yet?"

"No. I didn't get the opportunity." he said dejectedly. Even though he was facing his own problems, he was taking me to the club with him. He would never admit it, but Gray knew even I was feeling dejected so he was trying to cheer me up. I had to cheer him up too.

"I'll help you then!" I told him cheerfully.

* * *

When we reached the club, it was already dark, however, earlier than I expected. The club was named Clover Club with a clover with each petal colored as red, yellow and green, even though the town already had Clover Super Market, Clover Archives and Library, Clover Primary High School, Clover Middle School as well as Clover High School. How innovative of them.

All the latest hits were blaring out of the club and seemed like a huge party was on for the opening. The place was really cool. There was a long cocktail bar right in front of us before which was a huge dance floor with colorful flashing lights on the tiles. A disco ball hung at the center of the club under which people were hitting some moves. It was the first time I saw a real disco ball. It gave a retro look to the club. There were cool tables with sofas which curved along the table. At the far corner there was a stage and currently, a band was playing the music. They looked like hippies; nevertheless, they did some rad performance there. My feet had already started tapping to the sound.

Over the music, Gray pointed towards the cocktail bar and said, "Why don't you take a seat there while I get some drinks and snacks?"

"Sure! Thanks!" I shouted to him and he made his way through the dance floor to the cocktail bar.

I sat down on one of the many empty tables (everyone were dancing), I watched as Gray danced his way through the dance floor as many girls were grabbing him by the jacket and trying to make him dance with them. It was a really funny scene.

Sitting there idly, I began thinking of him again. The way he smiled…it was so calm and gentle. My head began revolving on the reason why he would dislike people from the city. He seemed fine with Gray. Why not me?

My mind recalled the moments we had had together. When he pulled me up from the mud, he wasn't harsh or brash; instead, his touch was delicate. But his words were completely rude. I was not sure if it was real or my imagination, but he said 'Not bad' while he was reading my manuscript. Could it be…he was trying to be nice?

I mentally punched myself. Why couldn't I think of anything else other than him? This person infuriated me too much. I had come here with Gray to forget about him and have some good time with my cousin. Speaking of which, it was taking him quite long to come back.

I heard a group of people laugh loudly nearby and I peeked over to see a big group huddled on one big table. I noticed one guy with black hair longer than the others and the image of the horse rider came into my head immediately. I shook my head; he couldn't be there everywhere I went.

A tray slammed on our table and I turned to see Gray. He was panting slightly as if he'd run a mile (He probably had.)The tray had fries, two slices of pizza and two drinks, which had blue sparkling juice in it.

I was totally starving so I began gobbling down my part. Don't judge me. I had lived without junk food for almost two weeks now. Can _you_ do that? However, Gray was eating slowly as usual. He's been a slow eater since he was a kid. While eating I asked him about school. He was a grade older than me and went to a really good school in his place.

"So what is this drink called?" I asked with my mouth full of cheese. He didn't reply immediately. He was looked very distracted. He kept looking at the dance floor, the food and then me.

"Oh," he realized I was staring at him. "What did you say? It's difficult to hear over the music."

"Never mind. Look, is something over your mind? You could tell me, you know?" I told him kindly as I slurped on my drink. It was really good.

"No, no," he said shaking his hands, "It's nothing!" That made me even more suspicious. My suspicions were that his stomach was already full with the pizza slice and toying with the French fries meant he couldn't eat it anymore so he was feeling guilty. But that meant all the more fries for me.

I began talking about a really funny incident in a guy's summer party last year when the guy accidently fell into the pool. Just when I was getting to the funny part when Gray interrupted me, "Hey Lucy, you said that you would help me right?"

That was random. "Um, sure! What is it?"

"She's come here."

"Who's come here?"

"Juvia."

"Oh…" Then it hit me as I almost spit out my fries, "Juvia's here?!"

"Hey, hey, keep it low!" Gray said nervously. Everyone's heads were in our direction due to my sudden outburst. "Do you think I could…you know, hang out with her for a bit? I know I invited you here with me, and it'll be so cruel of me to leave you-"

So he wasn't feeling guilty about the fries. He was feeling guilty about leaving me. Well, I did promise him that I would help him. These are the times when your words bite back huh.

"I think this is a bad idea. It was too selfish of me to think of leaving you. I'm sorry Lucy-"

"No, you should go."

He looked at me with wide eyes, "What?"

"You should totally go! This is your chance! If she's alone then you've hit gold's pot. Buy her a drink and ask her to dance. Make this her best evening!" I winked. Sigh, I'm so kind and generous.

"Lucy, that's so sweet of you." Gray said. It looked like he was gonna cry or something but before I could make sure he pulled me into a hug from the other side of the table. Okay, now he's totally making me blush.

He pulled back and I gave him a toothy grin and a thumbs up, unable to think of anything better to do or say.

"Well, well, look who we have here. If it isn't Gray Fullbuster and Lucy Heartfilia." It was Juvia. And she wasn't alone.

* * *

Juvia looked gorgeous. So gorgeous, I now understood why _anyone_ would fall in love with her. She rocked an ochre fringe skirt and black ankle length boots and wore a plain black top. Her blue hair was straight and curled at the ends, looking like a cascading waterfall and the top of her head was covered by a black fedora hat. Beside her was one of those hippies who was singing earlier (at least he seemed like one). He had long black hair with his head was covered by a bandana and there were piercings all over his face. His eyes were shockingly similar to Rogue's, red with cat slits, but they were cold and calculating. He was wearing all clothes you would find in a punk-20% discount-sale, with jeans having chains and cowboy boots. And I was 80% sure this guy was her boyfriend.

Basically, both of them together looked like gangsters who had broken out of jail.

I wouldn't have been shocked if they would have pulled out guns. It wasn't helping that in the background 'Confident' was being played. I was waiting to be shot down (because she always called me love rival, she must have wanted to kill me right?), but Gray seemed really calm.

Juvia stared at me piercingly and said, "Love rival!" I let out a yelp and then suddenly, she laughed and smiled, "Just kidding! Long time no see, Lucy-san!" while her friend laughed "Gihi." Which creeped me out.

I tried for a handshake, "H-Hi Juvia, l-long time no…" she pulled me into a hug before I could finish my stuttering bits of sentences. I was getting so many hugs for the past few days. If I got a 100 Jewels for each hug I would have been rich. Then I wondered if the time when Rogue pulled me into his arms was a hug. Cue the mental self-slap. I'd like to call it 'Slappie'. I know, I'm so innovative at names.

"Hey Juvia, Gajeel," Gray said nodding to the guy beside her. Gajeel nodded back.

"Could we join you?" Juvia asked.

"Absolutely." Gray said confidently. We shifted in as Juvia made her seat next to Gray and Gajeel sat next to me. Cue the awkward silence and smiles. We talked about school and future academic plans. Apparently, Gajeel was Juvia's neighbor and they were really good friends. I was just starting to blend in the atmosphere when suddenly Gray asked, "Juvia, would you like to dance with me?"

Juvia's eyes sparkled and her cheeks flushed. They stared into each other's eyes. Her eyes were blue like a sea of affection; vast. Behind, some romantic music was being played and many couples were slow dancing. After what seemed like an eternity (I was about to pass out of too much love in the air), a sun broke out as Juvia smiled radiantly and said, "I'd love to!"

Then the love birds fluttered to the dance floor. I snorted loudly, but then I forgot that Gajeel was still beside me. Though he seemed to mirror my thoughts, "I know right. About damn time."

I raised a brow and he continued, "Juvia can only talk and think about that guy. Besides, these days she's hanging out with him like morning to evening."

I snorted again, "Tell me about it. They're so in love."

The dance floor was full of couples while all the singles had groaned and gotten off the floor. I could literally see hearts in the air. At times like this, I just thought of one thing, I need to eat more. Instead of looking at lovey-dovey people, I'd rather stuff food in my face.

One thing good about Gray leaving me- I got all the fries to myself. Bad thing- they didn't come back after the song ended but that was supposedly good riddance for Gray. Gajeel went off saying that his band break was over (so he was one of those hippies!). Sadly, that meant I was all alone now.

I sighed as I leaned back on the sofa. I tried playing games on my phone or chatting with my school mates, but suddenly, just when I needed someone, everyone became busy. A cruel world indeed.

I was feeling bored, sitting in one place all evening, so I decided to go to the toilets. I know, how ingenious of me right? I decided to stare at myself in the mirror and cry my eye liner out because I was left alone. Just kidding, I was gonna apply some lip gloss. Hey, if I was a city girl, I had to show off my assets.

After coating my lips with my special mint gloss, I fixed my hair. Then I walked out like I was running for Miss Fiore contest. However, my ramp walk was rudely interrupted when two tall and slimy guys blocked the way.

"Excuse me, please." I said politely.

"Oh no, please excuse us." One of the guys with a drag which made me want to puke.

"Hey missy, are you alone?" asked the other guy.

"Nope. I'm with my friends," I lied.

"Is that so? But I saw you sitting all alone there by that table." Said the first guy pointing at the table I was previously using.

"They're all dancing right now. Now please excuse me." I said as I tried to push them aside but the other guy grabbed my wrist. "What's the hurry, Missy? You could dance with us." he said.

"Um, no thanks." I said trying to pull my wrist away but I couldn't.

"Let go of me this instant!" I shouted over the music, buzzing with anger.

"Let's have some fun, girly." The guy said as he smiled creepily.

In a flash of a second, that guy was slapped and he fell to the earth. Or dance floor, whatever floats your boat. The second one's hand was slapped, thus letting go of me and someone else held my wrist pulling me in their arms. A moment of relief filled me as I realized Gray was here.

I turned and saw the face of someone else. It wasn't Gray. It was him. The horse rider, the mystery guy, Rogue.

"That is no way to treat a lady!" he shouted. "Get lost!" he hissed at the shocked faces of the two guys.

"Wait!" I said and the two men stopped. I gently pulled myself away from Rogue, winked at him and walked towards the guys.

"You think you're cool for doing that? Don't take me or any girl for just random girly." I turned but then I felt like saying some more, "Oh wait, I forgot to tell you," I said sweetly, "Go to hell!" I yelled as I dug my heel in the foot of the guy who had pulled my wrist and mustered the best ugly look at the guy fallen on the floor and said, "Would you like some?" The guy yelped and limped his way out followed by the guy on the floor.

Silence engulfed the air. I realized that the music had stopped and everyone was staring at us. Mostly me, actually. To say I was embarrassed was an understatement. I felt like digging a hole in the dance floor and never come out. Suddenly, the crowd began cheering and clapping.

I guess they liked my way of dealing with weirdos. Well, what can I say? I am pretty amazing.

Rogue looked mildly amused and it seemed as if he was suppressing a smile. I spotted Gray with Juvia and he gave me a thumbs up as he grinned widely. Some people even came up to me to pat my shoulder and shake hands with me. I felt like some local celebrity. Finally, the crowd dispersed and the music started playing again and I was left alone with Rogue. I noticed he was dressed lavishly in formal wear; black trousers, a mild red color shirt with a dark red tie, loose against his collar. Curse his handsome looks.

I said hesitantly, "Thank you for helping me…"

"I would say you're welcome, but it seems you are rather self-sufficient. I apologize for any trouble caused." He said suddenly with such ferocity that I almost thought he was scolding me.

My eyes widened. I suddenly realized that he was looking at me intently but I just couldn't make myself look at his face. Yeah, I know, I'm such an idiot ugh. I couldn't think of anything to say. After what you would call awkward silence, I tried, "What do you…?" before we were interrupted by a girl.

"Rogue! There you are!" She was tall and had long dark hair. She wore a rather revealing red dress and silver heels, glittering in the disco lights. Suddenly, Rogue looked wary as the girl jumped on him, literally, and said, "Where have you been? We've been looking for you! Come on, Sting just got dared to dance with the bartender dude for 20 bucks." She grabbed his arm and pulled him away. He spared me a glance before they disappeared in the crowd.

That's crazy. All this left me to think with two questions. Were Rogue and the mystery girl dating? And, how broke is this Sting dude?

* * *

Which kind of jerk promises to update within one week, leaves the birthday fic at a cliff-hanger and updates exactly the next year? ME.

Which kind of fool continues using it as the birthday fic? _ME._

Which kind of person still can't finish the story? That is again moi. (Me in French)(Because I'm obsessed with French cartoons recently.)

But I know, you love me! So HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAINA! My very talented, very noble and super amazing friend! Also the best writer in the world! You're the sweetest cupcake and the coolest person! We gonna rule da world soon, it's just a matter of time...just let me finish this fic ;-P  
Today is also a very historic day...if you know what I mean ;-D


	3. Chapter 3

I was walking on the fields the next day in mid afternoon when I met him. I had decided to take a stroll in the fields to clear my head. I just couldn't find any ideas for my manuscript! Okay, lying to myself is a little weird, so I admit I was slightly disturbed by the fact that my charming horse rider probably had a snobbish girlfriend.

Only, he wasn't just a charming horse rider now. He was also a charming truck rider, so charming that he was about to drive over me with a humongous tractor. I suppose it's not a very creative way to die. What? I am a writer I do have an overactive imagination!

So I didn't die if you didn't figure it out yet because he stopped the vehicle once he heard my yelp.

He poked his head out from the window and hissed, "What are you doing?"

"Taking a stroll," I said acting casually.

Rogue rolled his eyes and sighed and pointed towards a signboard which happened to go unnoticed by me. It read 'do not walk on the fields.'

I grinned a bit sheepishly, "My bad," And quickly walked off making my way towards the barn. I wacked myself mentally. Why do I seem to mess up so badly!?

He probably thinks I'm the biggest fool in the entire universe. From the bull to the drunken dudes in the club, my clumsiness has only resulted in frowns and rude remarks. How would looking after the barn animals make me feel any better about how stupid I am? Why did anything he did affect me so much when he doesn't even mean anything to me?

I was suddenly wishing I never came here.

* * *

"Can we talk? Please?" I asked Rogue when he was feeding the horse. I just couldn't take it anymore. I wasn't exactly sure what I was going to talk about, but I was determined to clear things up.

Rogue wordlessly beckoned me outside the stables. He arranged the hay stacks so that we could sit. Once he was done, he crossed his arms and placed one leg over the other and stared at me.

"Well?" He asked.

"Okay, I won't take much of your time. Firstly, I really didn't think I would provoke an animal with my perfume." I waited for him to react but he simply stared at me so I continued, "Secondly, if you think I was trying to pry in your life, it was never my intention to do so. I don't have the right to do that, so I apologize for having offended you in any way. And lastly, I'm grateful that you came to my aid yesterday even though you think I'm an idiot and a real piece of work. I know I'm kind of clumsy which makes you feel really angry at me and-"

"I wasn't angry at you. I was angry with the drunken b-" he stopped himself. "The drunken men." He looked at me in the eye, "And I do not think you are an idiot."

The last line just threw me off the track. I was so stunned; I forgot what I was going to say next.

"However," he looked at me sharply, "Your clumsiness does irk me. It would be better if you do not bother yourself with any of these lowly tasks." He abruptly stood up and turned his back to me. "Hope you have a nice stay."

Before I knew it, the words spilled out of my mouth, "Stop ordering me around and shut up, you jerk!"

He turned and his usual mask of nonchalance was now replaced by an expression of surprise. "What did you say?" He asked.

"I said, shut up, _you jerk._ I'll do what I like, whether it's taking care of the animals or playing with them in the mud." I think it was the continuous feeling of being underestimated that was talking.

"I may not be perfect, but I try. You can look down on me, be angry or whatever. That is all." I turned and walked away but I had the satisfaction of seeing a dumbstruck expression written all over his face.

* * *

The realization of what I said yesterday struck me when I changed into my pajamas, said my prayers, turned off the lamp, pulled over the covers and lay in bed.

I think I was a bit too savage.

I guess I should sleep with a chilly spray under my pillow. Just sayin'.

The next day, I was slightly dizzy due to lack of sleep (I was busy admiring the chipping ceiling.)

"Ah, maybe I should go and take a nap." I said aloud stretching over my hay-desk. From the window I could see the blue summer sky and birds flying overhead. Suddenly, I heard the sound of a meowing cat, which was odd considering that I never saw cats anywhere around this place.

But there it was again. The sound of the cat. I poked my head outside the window and saw a cat clinging to a branch of the great Oak tree.

"Oh poor kitty! Wait I'm coming." I rushed downstairs immediately to help the kitty.

This was easier said than done because from ground level the cat was pretty high up.

"Well, here goes nothing!" I said kicking my boots off. I did have some experience climbing trees about...7 years ago. Luckily, I only tripped on one or two branches but I got a hang of it and finally I reached the cat. I coaxed the cat to come to me but it just continued meowing. I stepped ahead holding the trunk only with one hand, dangerously balancing my foot on the branch and reached out my arm as much as I could and somehow I was able to scoop up the cat. However, the cat was really terrified so it scratched my arm, causing me to lose balance.

I fell to the earth but instead of landing on the earth (no, I did not die nor did I land in outer space), I was caught by none other than our charming horse/truck driver Rogue.

Cliché right? I know. But I was really relieved because that fall could have led to some broken bones.

"Are you okay!?" He asked me and what surprised me was his tone. He actually sounded _worried._

I just nodded and he set me on the ground.

"Thanks," I said, feeling embarrassed all of a sudden. All along, the cat was my clinging to my shirt with all its sharp claws.

"Hey, you're safe now," I muttered to the cat. Slowly, after a lot of patting, it loosened its grip on my shirt. I held the cat close to me. The cat had brown fur, with black spots at some places.

Rogue coughed and I noticed he was staring at me. He pointed at the cat and finally declared, "She is my cat."

I could only say, "Oh."

"Frosch, come here." He said spreading his arms. The cat immediately pulled away from my arms and jumped to Rogue and began purring loudly.

"But...you don't seem like a cat person." I said softly and then immediately regretted it. It seemed like all I could do was pick a fight.

"Then what do I seem like?" he asked.

"Um…more like a dog person…?" I said fidgeting with my shirt and avoiding eye contact with him.

"I get that a lot." He said, his lips curling into a small smile. There he goes again, caressing the cat and smiling like that, making my heart race like a sports car on the rush. "Thank you," he said and the sound of his deep voice made me blush.

"Ahaha it was nothing! I shall take your leave then!" I quickly turned to take an exit before I said anything more stupid and also before he made my heart burst out of my chest.

"Wait." He said sternly which made me stop in my tracks.

"Yes?" I looked back at him.

"There's something I'd like to show you." He said.

* * *

When I agreed to go with him, I didn't consider the fact that he might be trying to kidnap me. The thing is, I neither had my cellphone, nor any cash on me. When I searched into my pockets all I found was a small packet of Choco pie and a pen. I didn't think a pen would be an effective weapon, but I had read accounts of how a man had been murdered and the prime weapon was suspected to be a pen.

We walked further and further until the mansion and the barn were out of sight, towards the forest. The fact that it was becoming less sunny was making me feel nervous as the number of trees around us increased. I noticed that we were going slightly uphill. I could hear the distant sound of flowing water. I didn't want to sound irritating or whiny so I remained silent all along the way.

He carried the cat along with him which was somehow reassuring. Frosch was settled on his broad shoulders. I wasn't sure for how long we were walking but finally, we reached into a clearing. It was a breathtaking sight. There was a flight of shallow but very narrow wooden steps and beside it was a series of cascading waterfalls. The sunlight pouring from the trees was making the water glow and the smell of the wet mud was maddeningly intoxicating. The atmosphere was cool and serene like it was autumn and it felt very much alive. It seemed like the entrance to a magical garden.

"It's beautiful," I said, unable to take my eyes off the inviting water. I bent down to touch the water which was so cool. As in cool to touch, but it was _cool_ too…you get the feeling right?

"If you climb up and walk further it leads to the town," he explained. So much for the feeling of a magical garden.

"So that's how you reached the club so quickly yesterday!" I observed.

Rogue nodded, "It's a long walk but it's a calming place and has faster access to the town." He said further.

"I should tell Aunt Ur and Gray about this then," I said smiling sheepishly.

"Yes, that would make things easier for them." He replied. My mind was bubbling with questions and I desperately wanted to ask him why he brought me here. But the silence which followed was so comfortable that I decided to be silent and admire the beauty of the place. He continued standing while I seated myself on the ground. Soon, I realized that the sun was setting. Frosch the cat was chasing a butterfly, which was quite amusing.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you." Rogue said softly, almost in a whisper. His words touched the bark of the tree, the blade of wind, the blue waters and my vain little heart.

I didn't reply immediately. To be honest, I couldn't think of anything to say at all.

"Would you like to have a Choco pie?" I asked randomly. He gave me a incredulous look.

"Now, now, don't make a face like that. It's really tasty!" I said pulling it out from my pocket and handing it to him.

He didn't take it. "Come on, I insist!" I said smiling.

"In that case, we should divide it into two." He said.

"For you and Frosch?" I asked jokingly. I have no idea where I was getting all this courage from. He mustered the mildest form of glare while I broke the pie into two pieces.

Rogue looked at his piece and said, "You are something, Heartfillia." That for some reason seemed to boost my confidence.

We ate it, again, in silence, though I did feel like saying 'Cheers!' Or something like that. And it was all the hope that it was the beginning of something new.

Finally, I got up and smiled at him, "Shall we head back then?"

* * *

When I returned home, it was already dark. Rogue dropped me at the porch of the house. He turned to leave wordlessly, and I still filled with adrenaline and excitement shouted, "See you tomorrow!"

I don't know whether he heard me or whether it was completely stupid, either ways I didn't seem to care at all. Thankfully, Grandma Mavis wasn't sitting on the porch tonight otherwise I would have plenty of questions to answer.

At dinner, Aunt Ur seemed to think there's something odd about me. Particularly when I offered to wash the utensils and how I was humming silently to myself all along in a task I don't take much excitement in. Even Gray thought I was acting different, but I completely denied it. Grandma Mavis didn't bother with me and continued watching soap operas. I mean, it's not like I was totally elated okay?

I didn't mention a single word about the waterfall stairway to either of them. I felt like what he revealed to me today was a secret and I wanted to keep it to myself. Call me selfish or whatever, but I never really had the intentions of sharing it with anyone in the first place.

* * *

I woke up late the next morning.

It's just that I was so distracted because of the previous night, I forgot to set the alarm and the old barn hen did not wake me up. Damn it.

I heard the whinnying of the horse as I hurried to the barn. Quickly, I picked up a rake and began sweeping. Almost immediately, Rogue entered the barn.

"Miss Heartfilia? When did you get there?" he frowned.

"I've been here since morning," I said casually, wiping the sweat off my forehead. I cast the rake aside and picked up a bucket, "I'll go and get some water for the horses!" and made an exit.

"Ugh, what _am_ I doing?" I muttered as I made my way to the well. Attaching the bucket to the hook, I let down it down into the well. Pulling the bucket full of water back up was really a task. I couldn't do it at all in the beginning. But practice makes perfect.

I noticed there was a lot of junk at the back on the barn. There was really a need for throwing it away. However, while I was passing, there was something that caught my attention. It was a thick wooden plank with holes in it. On further inspection, I realized that it was the swing that used to be on the Oak tree. Cue the nostalgic days of childhood when I would sit on the swing all day long and laugh and enjoy with Mum and Dad. It filled my heart with warmth and I had the sudden urge to put it together again.

So I quickly replenished the water, patted the horse nervously and then hurried to get the swing from the junk. The wood seemed to be in a good condition but the rope was old and was starting to tear.

Rogue, who was currently examining the hen coop, upon asking him for rope first said, "Why do you need rope?"

"I want to put this swing up again." I said grinning, almost jumping with excitement. However, he did not seem to be catching my excitement. "There's some in the basement…" he said.

"Okay!" I turned but then I couldn't recall having a basement at all. "Wait we have a basement?"

"Well, it's not been used for ages, so you might not know." He walked to one of the windows of the barn, pushed some hay stacks apart which revealed a trap door. It opened to a flight of stairs leading into a dark room. It seemed more like a secret hiding place than a basement.

"A-Are you sure there's good rope down there?" I asked.

"The last time I checked, yes." He confirmed. "Off you go, then. Oh, you might need this," he handed me a mini-torch.

I thought he was going to get it for me or at least, accompany me. That basement looked like bad news. And Rogue, instead of leaving, continued watching me like I was a specimen of bacteria to be examined under the microscope. I hated it when he did that.

The stairs creaked as I stepped on them. Who knows how old this was. I didn't think even Grandma Mavis would know of this secret room. There was one of those pull-the-cord-light switches which revealed an old room with a big picnic table, carpets, vases and all sorts of things you would find in the attic. It wasn't quite dusty as I thought it would be, and it certainly didn't look like it would collapse. There was a sound of something rattling which gave me a fright, but then it was some rats scurrying about. I found the rope hanging on the wall along with cowboy boots and hats and stuff like that.

Rogue's voice called from up, "Did you find the rope?"

"Yes I found it!" I shouted back. I was about to climb up when suddenly, I heard the sound of faint music. It made my heart jump and I bit back a scream. Curiosity got the best of me, so I turned to look the source of the sound. It was coming from a box. Inside, there were old parchments, photographs and letters and a fancy box from which the music was flowing. It was a music box. The scurrying of rats must have shaken the box and awakened the sound. I carried the box up with me along with the rope.

After cleaning up the animal coops and eating lunch, I sat down to work with the rope. I had been working for the past half an hour without any success.

"That's not how you do it." I looked up and saw Rogue watching me.

"What?" I was trying to create a knot to tie the swing to the tree. Well, I think I _was_ doing a pretty bad job because even though I looked it up on the internet, I couldn't make it without the rope ending up into several tiny knots.

"You hold one end with your right hand and then twist into a loop and pull the other end into it after crossing it from the left and pulling the other end in." He explained like it was the law of gravitational force.

I twisted the rope a few times and it ended up as weak knot, "Like this?"

"No, it's the other way round." He said trying to demonstrate with his fingers in the air. "It's easier if you have a rod to hold it."

"A rod? How will I free it without creating a hole? And where does the wooden plank come in then?" I asked.

"Look, I'll show you." He walked over and took the rope from my hand. And that's how we spent a lovely afternoon, creating knots out of rope. Rogue really sucked at explaining, so he ended up typing the knot through the wooden plank. It was nice really, I couldn't even figure out how time went by. I learnt a lot about how durable knots were very essential. He also told me that since the wood was old, it needed polishing. He helped me in that as well and once that was done, he agreed to help me hang the swing on the Oak tree.

"I'll climb up the tree, you wait down." I ordered.

"Why?" Rogue asked.

"Because I'm good at climbing trees." I explained.

"Miss Heartiflia, you don't even know how to tie the knot. How are you going to do that once you climb up?" he asked skeptically.

"Hey, you gave me a two hour free lecture about knots, and I did catch a few things okay? Trust me a little!"

"And what do I do waiting down?" Rogue raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I do need someone to catch me if I fall." I winked. There I go with my lame and shameless attempts and flirting. In reply, I heard a snort from Rogue, which was unbelievable, really. I began climbing when I remembered Frosch. "Where's Frosch today?"

"At home." He replied, fixing his eyes at the horizon.

I was about to trip on one branch and a little gasp escaped me, but I caught the branch quickly and regained balance. I looked down to see Rogue already holding his arms out. "Sorry!" I said apologetically, but the sight of him being ready to catch me made my heart jump with joy.

I tied the knot of the swing by carefully balancing myself by using the support of a branch and let the plank fall free. It shook a bit and then stood still. Then I climbed down. Rogue offered me his hand before stepping down at last, which I accepted gratefully.

"I didn't fall after all," I smiled. "Now let's see if you've been a good teacher," I lightly seated myself on the seat and then put my full weight. I swung slowly and then there was no stopping. I swung so hard, my hair flew all over and my feet were facing the sky. It felt like I had gone back in time, in the carefree days of joy, when laughter echoed in the air, the birds chirped above the Oak tree, the warm sun rays hit my face along with the cool air that followed the swinging. Lost in all the childhood fun, I forgot that Rogue was still there. I stopped immediately.

"Ah, I'm so sorry! I got a bit carried away." I apologized, feeling embarrassed.

"It's fine," Rogue replied, still holding his stoic expression. "Please continue,"

I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or what, but I continued swinging slowly. "You should bring Frosch along sometime. I would like to play with her. I've always longed for a cat."

He leaned against the bark of the tree, "I will." He simply said.

"How long have you been working here?" I asked, trying to be conversational.

"Since Autumn." He replied.

"Are you a student?" I asked.

He made a half-amused face, "Yes."

I wonder if his life rule is speaking in not more than 10 syllables. He's like a bit like a robot.

"Thank you, Rogue." I said suddenly, which made him look at me. "For helping me put this together," I quickly added.

However, his reply was kind of unexpected. "How do you know my name?"

"Eh?"

"I don't recall mentioning my name to you," he said raising his eyebrow.

Crap. Basically Gray had introduced me to his entire history even before I talked to him. I remembered that at the club there was that girl who had called his name.

"I heard it from your friend the other day at the club!" I said quickly.

"I see." He bought it! Yes! Nice save, Lucy! I mentally patted my back.

"Oh, would you like to try the swing?" I asked generously.

"No thanks." He said pretty bluntly which made me a bit sad.

"So how do you know much about knots and polishing wood and stuff?"

"I have done a course on carpentry."

"Oh, of course." I fixed my eyes at the horizon as well. After a few moments, I asked, "So what level have I reached?"

"What?"

"You know, beginner level, apprentice level, or maybe level 2 or 3 or 5?" I turned to see him giving me a confused look. "You know in games, how to win the game you have to pass through different levels, so I asked which level did I reach? Let's say, on a scale of levels 1-10," I smiled jokingly.

Rogue remained silent, as I predicted, since it _was_ meant to be a joke. I was about to call it for the day when he unexpectedly said, "Level 6.5 I guess,"

Suddenly, my game crashed. Literally. The swing fell and I dropped to the ground, probably looking like a complete oblivious dork, since I couldn't really process what happened. And he wasn't lying about level 6.5, really, because I heard him laugh. He continued laughing which really did some tricks to my heart. Before I knew it, I joined in the laughter from the ground level.

"I thought you would catch me when I fall," I said as he gave me a hand to get up. He shrugged in a funny way, so I had to restrain my smile. I decided to pretend to be angry.

I pouted and turned away from his amused face. ""You're not only a bad teacher, but also a bad helper. And I thought you were a good guy," I waved my hand and started to walk away slowly, "Bye then. Hope you have a nice day." I imitated his line from the other day.

"Wait, Lucy!" Rogue called.

"Getting on first name basis, are we?" I smirked. "Besides, I don't recall mentioning my name to you." I used his line again. Now it was his turned to be stumped.

Rogue cracked a smile, and I was really beginning to consider this as a game, with me scoring a point for opening up Rogue, the mysterious dude.

And I wasn't going to lose this game.

* * *

We continued working together, doing the odds jobs in the farm. So much so that it soon became quite synchronized. We talked quite a lot too, and I slowly realized that we have similar interests in books, movies and music.

"I think that the girl was overreacting. It wasn't such a shocker that her boyfriend's father was behind all the black money."

"Yes, I agree. It was quite obvious that his father was up to no good!"

"But we can't really tell until the next book comes out," I sighed. We were sitting by the lake behind the barn. It was quite hot today, a full summer day with the sun in the top of the sky. There was no wind at all.

"By the way," Rogue said, "They are screening the movie of the second book this weekend. Do you want to see it?"

"Are you asking me out on a date?" I smirked.

"Maybe," He said indifferently.

Rogue always did that. He would say something nice, but it didn't reflect on his face at all. He really was like a robot.

"I'll take up your offer then!" I grinned.

"Because it's not a date?" Rogue asked.

"Because I want to see the movie." I replied back. The corner of his lips slightly turned up. It was a slow process, to make him open up but I wasn't giving up any sooner.

I got up, stretching a bit after sitting for a long time, followed by Rogue.

"I think I will do horse-riding for a bit." Rogue proceeded to make his way to the barn.

"Me too!" I said cheerfully.

"Do you even know how to ride a horse?" he stopped to look at me suspiciously.

"Of course I do! It's been a while though! Is there any old Black Beauty around here?" I lied right through my white teeth. I'm not even going to tell you I tried horse riding when back in the past, because I was terrified of ponies and likely, horses. To be honest, even Dad was, so I'm suspecting I got it from him. From all the stories and photographs framed on the living room mantel, I learned that mother was a good horse-rider. She even took part in the Country Club Horse riders Competitions, which was a real shocker.

So I figured that I would have at least some genes that made a decent horse-rider. Please Mother! All I'm asking for right now is horse-riding talent! And maybe some smart pick-up lines.

"Really?" Rogue bought it again. "Let's horse ride together then."

I know, I'm an absolute genius in getting myself in shitty situations.

Rogue chose his usual white horse called Gabriel while I selected a brow stallion with lovely black hair.

"Are you sure you want to ride that one?" Rogue asked.

"Um…yes! Why?" I asked, confused.

"Well, Rose can be a bit…impatient." That didn't even make sense.

"I think I'll be able to manage. She's really pretty and she looks like she could run a mile without breaking a sweat!" I said cheerfully.

"Is there any particular reason you ride Gabriel?" I asked as he mounted his horse.

"I like her very much. Now don't laugh at me, but I feel I can understand her somehow." He said, but I understood what he meant. You could really feel so much underneath when you touched an animal. I figured I should become a volunteer at the local animal shelter back in the city.

"Are you going to mount the horse?" he asked.

"Oh…oh yeah!" I picked up the saddle and adjusted the reins. "You go ahead! I'll catch up." I laughed nervously.

"Okay then." The horse galloped outside the stables.

"Ugh, can I really do this? This is giving me a really bad feeling…" I muttered to myself, uneasily.

The horse whinnied and stomped its foot in impatience, like, 'Hey girl, move on with it, will ya?"

"Okay! Here goes nothing! The worst possible thing would be that I get publicly shamed right?" I said cheerfully to the horse.

It seems I was right. I _was_ after all, publicly shamed and Rose did run for a mile, without breaking a sweat with me holding miserably and helplessly, Rose's neck and screaming my head off until probably the whole Vermillion Manor was gathered on the porch, watching in terror, my public execution.

Well, _almost_ a public execution. Rogue came to the rescue as he speeded along Gabriel and stopped before Rose, both neighing loudly as my brown horse Rose came to a sudden halt. I was on the verge was crashing to the ground as Rose stood on her hind legs and then settled down.

Grandma Mavis was screaming from the porch, "Somebody call the ambulance!" I don't know whether for her or me. I'm sure I'm not dying of heart seizure. Yet. The other workers in the Manor ran to me and helped me unmount the horse. They offered me various things ranging from water, milk, orange juice, glucose, cookies to bubble bath, free hair wash coupons at the Parlor and a therapist.

Yeah, I don't know how it reached to free hair wash coupons and a therapist.

You'd think that I enjoyed the attention, but I was getting flustered by every minute. I just wanted to scream, "AH, MY LIFE AND REPUTATION IS RUINED!", but I said silently that I'm totally okay and I even ran in circles and waved to Grandma Mavis in the porch from the field to show them that I'm fine. I guess they weren't fully convinced, because they handed me a glass of milk with cookies and a coupon to the local hair parlor.

Rogue was leaning against the fence on the field with both the horses reined on the stump.

"Ha-ha, looks like I've gotten really rusty huh!" I laughed loudly. "I could do with some practice I guess."

"You could have just told me you've never ridden a horse." He said.

I didn't deny it any further. "I'm sorry." I inspected my boots, full of dirt and gruel. Now Rogue would give me another dose of his disappointment and I'll have to pack my bags and move to the asylum.

"I'm a bad teacher, but I guess I'll have to give you a good lesson." Rogue said. He was looking at me very seriously, and I couldn't tell if he's being sarcastic or sweet.

"Come on, get on." He urged me to mount the white horse Gabriel.

"But what about Rose?" I asked who was harbored at the stump and eating yummy grass and not really caring about us.

"We'll take her back with us later." Rogue said dismissively. "Now, hurry."

I blinked, and then followed his orders. I thought he was going to just stand by the side and give me orders, but then he mounted _behind me._

But then it was too late to back out.

"Now, hold the reins and give it a slight tug. Not too hard okay?" Rogue instructed. I followed, and then we were steadily moving ahead. While moving forward I became too conscious of how close his body was and how he was breathing down my neck. I was concentrating so much on that fact that I didn't notice we were reaching the dead end of the fence.

"Push your left calf against his side when turning right, and your right leg when turning left." Rogue explained. "Ah, use the inside, not the back of your leg. Like this," he demonstrated it, though I couldn't see it clearly, I understood what he meant. We continued taking a round of one patch of the field while he instructed and corrected me. I was starting to get a hang of it now and I wasn't feeling nervous about Rogue sitting and watching me from behind anymore.

Whoops. I spoke too soon.

"Now, let's go a bit faster shall we?" he said as he placed his hands over mine, holding the reins and yanked them to speed the horse. His hands were bigger than mine and they were so warm and comforting. The touch was so gentle I wondered what it would be like to hold hands properly with him.

Ah, the torture and the pleasure. I just hoped he couldn't hear my hammering heart.

I mentally gave myself a slappie. I was losing sight of what was actually in front of me. The beautiful fields and trees and the sparkling waters of the lake along which the horse ran and wind blowing in my face was so amazing, so magical, I could go on forever. It felt like I was in a different world all together. My heart was fully ecstatic and bouncing with excitement (which seemed so easy for it these days).

"What was I doing all along?" I laughed. "I should have done this long ago!"

"I know right." Rogue said. With a swish of the reins we turned back to where we had left Rose. Rogue was still held his hands over mine. On reaching closer, we slowed down. Rogue unmounted first, then lent me a hand while I got off.

"We should do this more frequently!" I grinned excitedly. Then I realized what I said and immediately added, "I mean, now that I've learnt horse riding, thanks to you, I can ride a horse alongside you. Ah, I think I'll choose another horse, not Rose. No offence of course!" I nodded to Rose who neighed in response.

"It was fun today." Rogue smiled.

That made my heart skip a beat. Ugh, seriously, Rogue is giving me serious heart problems. I think I should ask Miss Spetto for the therapist's number, or preferably, a cardiologist.

"Yes." I replied, smiling back.

"I hope we can spend more time together." His eyes were reflecting this weird sort of shine, which I couldn't read for some reason.

Now I was starting to get suspicious. Was this really the Rogue I knew? The same robot guy who hated me some days back? Okay, hate is a strong word, but you get it right? I couldn't help but blush.

"I wish for the same." I avoided his eyes because I thought that if I looked in them any more I might actually sink.

He bowed in a gentlemanly fashion, "See you tomorrow, Lucy." My stomach made many flips when he said my name.

"See you tomorrow…" He took the reins of the two horses and walked towards the barn, where the sun was beginning to set.

Another thing about hanging out with Rogue was I couldn't tell how the time went by.

* * *

I thought this was one of the best days of my life before my fears became true. I was not publicly shamed, I was _globally_ shamed. Apparently, Grandma Mavis recorded a video of me screaming my head off on the horse and posted it online (Don't ask me how and when she did that).

I must say, it gave me an idea of how I looked, that is, _a complete idiot._ I think I might go down in history for the best lamest video in the history of videos. It made me cringe so much I couldn't stand it. When I got off the horse, I noticed my hair was fully swept off to one side as if it were permanently gelled that way. No wonder I was offered free hair wash coupons.

I wasn't angry with Grandma Mavis (mostly because I was feeling too elated to give invitation to any negative emotions); I was just worried that this video did should not reach Dad or other people, especially, in my school. Gray took it in good humor and by that I mean he totally laughed his ass off. Aunt Ur, on the other hand, was furious with Grandma Mavis for posting something like that online and immediately ordered her to remove it. That was some good news.

Rogue must have taken pity on me since my life was so pitiful, such a kind guy. Sob, sob. But that doesn't explain why he would want to spend more time with me.

Well, jokes apart, I was really looking forward to hanging out together.

After supper, I was so tired, my body felt heavy. My limbs were hurting from the continuous activity, which I was not used to. I changed into clean clothes and collapsed onto my bed. Within a few minutes I was asleep, and before I went into a deep slumber, all I could think of was horses and Rogue's handsome smile.

* * *

So yaaay things are progressing! How'd you like this chapter? Do let me know because I worked really hard on this chapter x-D  
Rainaaa hope you had a lovely birthday party! Keep rockin' gurl! :-D  
Shout out to Sachiko Saki, the best proofreader! 3


	4. Chapter 4

The movie outing came sooner than I expected. I had been expecting the days to drag on till weekend but it was nothing of that sort.

Mostly because I was spending every minute of the day with Rogue. I know, even I couldn't believe it until weekend arrived, which meant we have spent one whole week _together._ We did all sorts of things like milking the cow, cleaning poop and pigging out with the pigs. Okay, we did other nice things like walking on fields which were permissible, horse-riding, making Oscar-winning sculptures of hay together, sitting by the lake and chatting, more horse-riding, etc., etc. We wouldn't even realize how evening would fall and we would part, to meet again at sunrise.

After his apology and working together for the swing, we just seemed to click together. Everything became calm and comfortable between us. (Except the moments when it felt like my heart would burst).

I discovered many things about Rogue, like how he was very particular about everything, how he loved reading books in a quiet place, how his eyes would slightly close which he smiled, how he was _an amazing painter_. That's a story worth sharing. The tree near the lake had a _tree house_ , which Rogue built on his own. It was a lovely little box, built really well for an amateur. I had stumbled upon it by mistake when I climbed the tree (please don't mistake me for a monkey…) to get a better view of the lake when Rogue was off to run some errand.

It was built a bit higher, and was hidden well due to the dense foliage of leaves. I could feel that it was certainly meant to be hidden. The door opened to a cozy little room with a desk and a stool. The desk was strewn with paper, sketchbooks, paints, brushes and pencils. There were several canvases in the room. I inspected each of them with utmost awe and fascination. There were paintings of sceneries, like that of the lake which was visible from the small window of the tree house, animals in the barn like Gabriel and Rose as well. There were some sketches of Frosch put up on the walls and some people I couldn't recognize, probably his family. There was a canvas stand with a canvas hidden by a cloth. I was just about to take it off when a sudden bang of the door stopped me, and there was Rogue, panting a bit, as if he'd run a mile.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. He looked very bewildered.

"I discovered this tree house when I climbed up for a better view of the lake. I was just looking about. I suppose this is your turf." I said, feeling as a trespasser.

He simply nodded.

"I didn't know you could paint. You're amazing," I gave a small smile. I really meant it, but suddenly I was feeling eager to get out.

"Thanks." He replied plainly, as expected. Then with unexpected eagerness he asked, "You didn't see that one did you?"

He was pointing at the canvas stand covered with the cloth, the one I was just about to unveil, "No I didn't." I assured.

"Okay." Rogue seemed to relax. "Come on, I've brought some cookies." And we headed down.

I never mentioned the tree house again, and neither did he (mostly because I forgot about it). I suppose that canvas was not meant to be seen by anyone. Or me. I wondered what it could be, but I didn't ponder much.

We planned to go to the town by early afternoon through the forest route he showed me. After that we could grab some lunch and then head back the same way. Rogue told me that he would handle all the work in the barn in the morning, so that let me to get ready decently and wear clothes other than dungarees, jeans, and shorts. But I couldn't wear clothes that made it look like we were going on a date because it wasn't a date.

I laid out two dresses, a plain blue one with embroidery and a green one with printed patterns. I was about to do inky, pinky, ponky, when I heard a knock on the door. I turned to see Gray's head poking into the room.

"You busy?" he asked. "I just needed some help with starting the washing machine. Ur asked me to do the laundry today." He explained.

"No problem, I'll do it before leaving." I said and then bit my tongue. I didn't want to tell anyone about today's outing.

"Oh? You are going somewhere today?" Gray raised his brow and then immediately proceeded to enter my room shamelessly. On top of that he was _shirtless._

"Hey! Don't enter a girl's room like that! And why aren't you wearing a shirt!? Have some delicacy, will you?" I protested.

Gray ignored me and surveyed the room until his eyes landed on the clothes I had laid out on the bed.

"Looks like my sister has been invited to a date! Let me guess who the lucky guy is…Rogue?" he feigned innocence.

I blushed, "Gray, shut up it's not a date okay?"

"Look at how she's blushing! It's definitely a date!" he wooted and whistled like how kids would in school when a girl and a boy would be paired for some activity. I proceeded to push him out of my room.

"Out of my room, right now!"

"Don't you have any other options? I think a nice light shade of pink would suit you." He said seriously.

"No, and thanks, it does suit me." I pushed him towards the door.

Then he pointed at the blue one and said, "That one's nice, wear that."

"Okay, thanks for your advice, goodbye." And I shut the door.

"Don't forget lip gloss and breathe mints!" he said from other side.

"Shut up!" I yelled and I could hear him snicker all the way down. Stupid Gray was now making me feeling flustered and embarrassed for no reason at all. I was definitely _not_ wearing the blue one. _Lip gloss and breathe mints?_ I would have smacked him if he had said that to my face.

* * *

I ended up wearing the blue dress, because it really suited me better than the green one. I guess I should thank Gray on this one. Not.

I was waiting at the driveway for Rogue. He arrived after a few minutes and apologized for being late, like the gentleman he is. Rogue was very chivalrous. It was evident from the very fact that he came to help me from my awkward situation at Clover Club, and besides that, he would always give me a hand when I need it (sometimes, literally), he would wait and hold the door for me sometimes when I lag behind him, and help me down the horse and stuff like that. It warmed my heart whenever I recalled it.

We walked from the forest, this time not feeling as indifferent I was last time he led me through this place. We had a light chat, mostly focusing on walking, but I couldn't help but focus on how we were going out together. It was making me feel stupidly happy even though we've hung out before in the farm. Stupid brain of mine.

This time I got to climb those stairs on the beautiful waterfalls. It was the kind of beauty you could only feel when you are seeing it. I almost had the urge to take a dip in the water, but then I remembered that I can't swim. Yeah, you can go ahead and laugh, but I don't think there would be a Titanic movie once again.

Soon enough, we reached the town. Clover was a lively little town. It had changed a lot since my childhood. There were very few cars, and being a town, there was a lot of hustling and bustling of people. We passed the market place which had many stalls as well as shops. The shops sold some really trendy stuff and I decided to go shopping one of the days, probably on my own. The food stalls were making fresh fried food stuffs which were making my mouth water. We entered a building called 'Clover Cinema' with the same logo as the club.

"It's Clover again…" I muttered.

"What?" Rogue tipped his head towards me. I was surprised he caught it since I almost whispered it.

"Nothing! I just thought how everything is named 'Clover'. Like Clover Club, Clover Cinema." He really had some super-hearing powers there.

He thought for a moment and then nodded, "Oh yes, you're right. The town is called Clover, after all." He agreed.

We still had fifteen minutes till the show began so Rogue asked me, "Do you want to buy popcorn?" Upon agreeing, we stood in the line for the food counter. When it was our turn, we both said together, "Two popcorn, please."

The lady on the counter smiled, "Would you like anything else with it?"

And once again, we said together, "One Fanta," I felt myself blush as we looked at each other in surprise.

The counter lady laughed, "Oh my, synchronization and same choices! Two popcorn and two Fanta. There is a special discount for couples; would you like to avail of it?"

Our immediate answer was, "No!"

Ugh, why do the counter-ladies assume things like that? We divided the money and took off from the counter. I couldn't look at Rogue in the face after that for some reason. I sneaked a glance at him, and even Rogue, seemed a bit hazed about the whole thing. I suddenly noticed that the place was full of couples, and that was probably why the counter-lady asked us that question. That just made everything more awkward. Was today some Valentine's day in Clover?

We proceeded to sit inside the theatre. We were in the central row and the seat was pretty comfortable. However, my thoughts were creating so much discomfort that I almost considered screaming at the top of my lungs and running out right now like a banshee. I could openly blame it all on Gray and the counter lady.

 _Lip gloss, breathe mints, couple._

My thoughts precisely included that and being overly-conscious about small facts like how my hand bumped with Rogue's, how close we were sitting and how close our faces would be if we were to face each other.

I really, really hate myself. I smacked myself mentally but I still couldn't get the thoughts out of my head. So I chewed on my popcorn and prayed to all the Gods and spirits in the world that I can concentrate on the movie.

* * *

My prayers were answered when the movie started and I was able to relax and forget about my thoughts. I enjoyed the movie and the content expression on Rogue's face, once the movie was over, told me that he felt the same.

"I really think one of my favorites will always be the whole cycle rush scene!" I laughed. "Especially when Suzanne pulled Philp on the backseat of the cycle and just dashed forward with Philip screaming behind!" I just couldn't stop gushing over the film. It was my favorite one after all.

"Yes, it was amusing." Rogue smiled, recalling the scene.

"The first three parts are so amusing and light-hearted…I can't believe how the theme got dark around the third part." I sighed.

"I didn't expect that either." Rogue said.

"But still, it has retained its good elements and the story is just becoming more and more interesting!" I smacked my hands together in excitement. I could only discuss my favorite books and movies with Levy, my best friend since probably kindergarten. I wish she could come along with me, but right now, she's probably enjoying on the beaches of Paradise Island resort.

"That's true." He replied in his minimal way. I then noticed that we were already on the streets walking.

"Oh. Where are we heading to now?" I asked, feeling stupid for noticing that now.

"8Island. It's a good restaurant, don't worry." Rogue assured.

I continued talking as we made our way to the restaurant. It was a nice old diner which had maintained its old retro style, but the menu was filled with all types of food ranging from pizza, pasta, soup, noodles, smoothies and many more. The owner was this old man called Yajima. He was a kind man who was of Rogue's acquaintance. He also knew my parents, as he almost mistook me for Layla, my mother. I did resemble my mother in many ways. Mr. Yajima told me that Layla was always a regular here, and she even helped him by working at the diner sometimes. He said that the meal was on the house, but I insisted to pay.

I continued talking in an animated sort of fashion, and Rogue continued to hold his patience and hear me out. Now that I think about it, I think I got too carried away. After we ate delicious food to our hearts content, "Thank you so much for taking me for the movie! I had tons of fun. I am sorry if I sort of bored you with my non-stop blabbering." I said a bit apologetically in the end.

"Please, don't apologize." Rogue said, sipping the last of his lime soda. "Besides, it's fun to hear you talk." He said with a straight face.

"Okay." I suddenly felt flustered and embarrassed. I didn't expect him to say something like that. He just threw me off track and I stopped talking for a while. We divided the money once again and I promised Mr. Yajima that I would come back again.

Once we were out, the mid-afternoon sun was still glaring, forcing everybody to remember that it was summer time and keep their umbrellas open, and sunblock on.

"I'm full." I said unintelligently.

"Me too." Rogue said.

"So, shall we head home then?" I said tilting my head.

"Okay." He simply replied. In my gut, I could feel an impeding disappointment as our 'outing' was soon coming to an end. I was starting to wish if we could spend more time together, but I was feeling selfish now.

We were walking when I noticed Rogue lag behind. I turned to see him standing behind, his fists clenched. "Rogue?" I called. His eyes seemed to have a new shine in it.

"Lucy," I couldn't get over the feeling that fell over me when he called my name. "Do you have any plans for this evening?"

"Nothing in particular, I guess." Whom was I kidding? I literally have nothing to do.

"Then, do you want to hang out a bit more?" Rogue asked.

* * *

And that was the actual beginning of our fun day out. The day before us seemed to be renewed with excitement and freshness, loaded with a lot of time to enjoy. 'A bit more' was a bit of an understatement as Rogue led me through the town, basically giving me a tour, even better than the official tour guides out there. He took me to Kardia Cathedral which was a building made of glass and had a breath-taking view of the city from the terrace, the Clover Lake was a tranquil refuge with the delighting sight of swans, the Clover University campus where Rogue was studying where there were big fields of grass, making it look like more of a park and I learned that Rogue was studying a grade above me, making him the same age as Gray.

We headed to Clover Library, with Rogue telling me about the subjects he had taken. In turn, I explained him what I studied back in my place.

While we were walking on the streets, I noticed a bakery, or probably a cafè, since there were a couple of tables lined up with cute parasols over it.

I thought of buying something for Gray, since he had helped me a bit.

"Do you think we could stop by the bakery for a moment?" I asked Rogue.

Strangely, Rogue's expression turned a bit surprised, "Why?"

"I wanted to buy some cake for my cousin." I said pointing at the cafe cum bakery. "Don't worry, I won't take much time," I said as I hurried ahead.

It seemed to me that he was a bit reluctant for some reason. The board read, 'Cherry on the top'. I pushed the door, and a bell rang, as it would it the old-style stores.

It was a cute little place. I took an instant liking to the ambience. There were tables arranged and couples, youngsters as well as some working people were huddled against their tables, creating the steady sound of talking along with soothing music being played in the background. The walls of the café were strewn with paintings of flowers and occasionally some random comics. I walked to the counter and took a long glance at the cakes displayed.

Rogue, who was acting very suspiciously, kept his hands in the pockets of his waistcoat and kept his back to me, almost like he was hiding behind me. Though, I doubted he was much covered, because I was a foot shorter than him.

After I decided on the cake, I rang the bell on the counter, since no one was present.

A lady with short black hair and bright green eyes appeared shortly, a beautiful smile adorned on her face, "Yes, how can I help you young lady?"

"I would like two pieces of Fresh Cream Hazelnut cake, please," I said, pointing at from the glass.

"Would you like to have it here or parcel?" She asked.

"Parcel, please."

"Anything else to go with the cakes? We just baked fresh cookies," she said excitedly. "The rainbow cream cake is our speciality!"

I could smell the unmistakable aroma of cocoa and even though my stomach was full, I had the temptation to try some of them. I could take them parcel or maybe share them with Rogue later. Everything looked delicious here.

"Okay, I'll have some cookies as well." I decided.

"Alright!" she typed a few buttons on the cash machine. "That would be 200 Jewels, please," the tray of the machine slid open and coins dropped out of it, falling all over the place.

"Ugh, this thing needs to be repaired soon," The lady groaned. I bent down to pick up the coins, and so did Rogue. While doing this, our foreheads bumped. He murmured an apology and handed me the coins and I proceeded to give it to the lady. She instantly beamed at me, "Thank you so much, young lady!"

"Oh, no problem," I waved my hand. For some reason, Rogue was still crouched on the ground. I was just about to ask him what was wrong when the bell of the shop rang and I saw a group of friends enter in noisily. They stopped on seeing me. Or rather, on seeing Rogue.

"Rogue! What are you doing there? I thought you had a date!" A blonde haired dude asked grinning. Rogue's face reddened. Wait; did he just say a _date_?

"Rogue?" The lady on the counter called suspiciously. Rogue jumped up straight.

"There you are!" The lady said disapprovingly. "I've been waiting all afternoon!"

Rogue finally turned, a he looked a bit flustered and nervous. I could only think how _adorable_ he looked _._

"Well, I did text you." Rogue said hesitantly.

"Well, I didn't see it. You promised to give me a hand this afternoon! You know that this is festival time and so many people pour in! And our Wendy is on a holiday today!" The lady spread out her arms.

"Aw, don't worry Mrs. Cheney! We're all ready to give a hand!" The blonde guy said cheerfully. All the others in the group made sounds in affirmative.

"Why, thank you, Sting, but you all are Rogue's friends, and I simply cannot make you all work for free!"

"Don't sweat it! Just give Rogue a break today, because he is on a date with-" Sting's eyes landed on me, but before he could say more, Rogue literally pounced on the guy and slapped his hand across his mouth.

Rogue glared at his friend, "Don't. Say. Another. Word." The others seemed to be restraining a laugh.

The lady on the counter looked confused for a minute, "A date?" then she looked at me and realization dawned on her face, "Of course! You must be the girl!" her eyes sparkled as she pounced on me. She took my hands in hers and said, "What is your name, dear?"

All throughout the conversation, I was looking at them as if I were watching a tennis match. I simply mumbled, "I'm Lucy,"

"Oh what a pretty name for a beautiful girl! Lucy, you have gorgeous eyes! I'm Ella Cheney, Rogue's mother. Welcome to our sweet little café!" She said. "I am delighted to meet you! You see, Rogue rarely brings any of his girls here. Or for that matter any friend." I found myself feeling hot in the neck. I glanced at the corner of my eye and saw Rogue's cheeks turn red.

"Except us!" A big shirtless dude with green spiked hair bellowed proudly.

Mrs. Cheney nodded, "Yes, of course!"

"I don't bring them! They turn up!" Rogue defended like a child.

Mrs. Cheney ignored him, "Now, dear, I hope you wouldn't mind, if I borrowed your date for a while. You see I needed some help back in the bakery." She said sweetly.

I nodded my head, "I understand. No problem,"

She beamed at me, "Thank you so much, Lucy!"

"In the meantime, we'll look after our little guest!" A girl stepped forward from the group. She was a little shorter than me and had whitish blond hair, and pretty coco eyes.

"Thank you, Yukino. Now Rogue, if you will," Mrs. Cheney stepped aside and opened a little door on the counter. Rogue frowned like a kid whose lollipop had been snatched away. He glanced at me apologetically. He looked so cute, I couldn't help but smile. I nodded and gave him a thumbs up as an assurance.

After that I was immediately dragged over to a table near a full-glass window, overlooking the street outside. There were five of Rogue's friends who debated before three of the guys crammed themselves into one sofa while two of the girls sat on the other side, having more space and comfort compared to the boys. Awkwardly enough, I was made to sit on a high stool. As soon as they were seated, they turned to look at me.

"Well, let's get started! Hello, Lucy, I'm Sting. Sting Eucliffe," the blond guy said as if he were some local celebrity, flashing me a toothy grin. So he was the guy who was dared to dance with the bartender! He reminded me of one of my close friends back in school.

"I am Rufus Lore." He looked like he had popped out from a history textbook or had just walked out from a play. He had long golden hair tied up with a ribbon and wore strange clothes of your local historical merchant.

"Orga," the buff green-haired dude gave me a salute. For unknown reasons, he was shirtless and looked like he was ready to jump into a pool.

"I'm Yukino!" the girl with the whitish blonde hair introduced. She looked the most normal out of all of them.

And the last one was the girl I recognized from Clover Club, the one who had dragged Rogue off, "I'm Minerva Orland," she smiled. They all looked at me expectantly for some reason.

I smiled nervously, "H-Hello, I'm Lucy."

"Yes, we already know," Yukino laughed.

"Ah, I'm sorry," I scratched my head nervously. I really don't know why I was feeling nervous. Is it because I was being watched? I have no clue. I decided that was enough of stupidness from me and cracked a joke, "I come from Magnolia. Do not worry; I come in peace. Peace be with you."

They just continued staring at me. Crap, I actually said something stupider. Or maybe I offended them and now they were judging me. I was surprised as they suddenly burst out into fits of laughter.

"That was a good one!" Orga laughed the loudest.

"Did you see the look on her face?!" Sting clutched his stomach.

"It shall be recorded in my memory," Rufus chuckled.

"She's really cute!" both Yukino and Minerva said in unison. I figured that _I_ was being the brunt of the joke, but I laughed anyway, because I must admit, tha _t was_ lame.

Soon enough, we launched into a discussion of our own, asking each other's likes and dislikes, talking about college, sharing experiences, like we were old friends meeting after a long time. I noticed that we were attracting a lot of attention, but I couldn't care less. The bell of the store went on chiming, as people kept entering in for snacks, a parcel or a cup of tea.

They bombarded me with a lot of questions about the city, but after having seen both, I said there aren't many differences.

"So I just told him, 'Stop being such a coward and get on with it!'" Sting was narrating a tale when somebody cleared their throat. There was Rogue, standing there in an apron, and _holy peperoni_ ; he looked _hot_. As much hot a guy could look in an apron, showing off his strong arms and hair tied up and sweaty forehead. I tried did my best to avoid staring, and hid behind the menu.

He pulled out a notepad, bent slightly and said, "May I take your order?"

I could swear that I was most probably looking like a tomato by now.

"Nah, send Wendy, she's sweeter." Sting waved his arm dismissively.

A tick appeared on the usually cool and composed face of Rogue, "She's not here, so deal with it,"

"Fine." Sting scanned absently through the menu, "One vanilla and butterscotch mini sundae."

"One golden lemonade sparkles," Rufus said, making me wonder about the unusual name.

"One heavy metal ice-cream bowl," Orga said as if it were his daily thing.

"I'll have one Orange soda," Yukino announced.

"I'll have a mixed choco-almond jumbo sundae." Minerva said, smacking her lips, ready to gorge on her treat before it came on the table.

"And you madam?" Rogue asked fixing his eyes to mine.

"…strawberry smoothie, please." I said.

He wrote it down, his eyes still holding my gaze for a moment. "Right away," and with that he walked away. I let out a breath which I didn't know I was holding. I threw the menu aside, Sting continued with the previous conversation when I felt somebody tap my shoulder.

"Lucy," A shiver ran down my spine as Rogue whispered into my ear. "Can I have you for a moment?"

I nodded and told the others that I would be right back. I followed Rogue to a secluded corner of the café.

"Are you okay?" Rogue asked, fixing his gaze to my level.

He was making sure if I was comfortable with his friends. If that isn't the sweetest thing, then I don't know anymore. I pretended to frown and crossed my arms, "I'm disappointed,"

His face immediately contorted to a worried expression, he was about to say something before I interrupted him, "I'm disappointed that you didn't introduce me to them earlier! They are so friendly to me, I almost feel like we've been friends forever!"

Rogue wasn't convinced, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Rogue." I touched his shoulder, and for a change he seemed to be surprised, "Don't worry. I'm having fun."

He threw me an easy and award-winning smile, "That's great,"

We held each other's gaze, before there was a flash of the camera to which we both jumped back. "Oh my god, you both are so cute!" squealed Mrs. Cheney.

"Mom!" Rogue hissed a blush evident on his face.

"Finally, Rogue is dating someone!" she said in an exasperated voice. "I was starting to think my son my gay." She sighed, while Rogue protested. I couldn't help but laugh, and Rogue gave me a look of disbelief.

Mrs. Cheney placed her hands on my shoulder, "Lucy, dear, you must join our family for dinner sometime after the festival ends."

"I would be glad to," I smiled.

A customer called, "Excuse me!" Mrs. Cheney and Rogue's attention was diverted.

"Yes, coming!" Mrs. Cheney replied. "Have a good time," she smiled and then parted.

"I'm right here," Rogue said to me. I nodded and made my way back to the liveliest table in the café.

As I seated myself, Minerva seemed most eager to know what Rogue had wanted to tell me.

"He wanted to know if I'm having fun," I smiled.

"Of course, you would have fun with us!" Sting grinned, which almost disappeared when he asked next, "You are, right?"

"Yes I am! You all are so nice and friendly to a complete stranger such as me," I said bowing my head slightly. "I hope you all don't think I'm a bother,"

Minerva, who was the closest to me slapped my back, "Of course not!"

"Lucy-sama is really sweet!" Yukino said. Rufus nodded his head heavily while Orga said, "Absolutely! I could compose a song over new friendships!" He stood up from his seat, his elbow hitting Rufus in the eye and making Sting almost fall off his seat.

"Sit down, you dolt! You'll drive away all the customers!" he yelled, and we all laughed heartily.

Soon enough, our orders were delivered on the table, by Mrs. Cheney this time. She had a cheerful personality and was quite talkative. If it weren't for the increasing flow of customers, she would have seated herself at our table, joining our measly conversation and having fun. While I was drinking the very delicious smoothie, I felt my back hurt a bit, since the stool did not have support. Rogue came up with a more comfortable chair for me, without me complaining or asking for it. Minerva pointed out that I had some smoothie on the corner of my mouth. There were no tissue papers on the table. Instantly, Rogue was beside me, handing me a tissue paper. Sting had his ice-cream _all_ over his face. When Rogue, was passing by our table, Sting called loudly, "Hey chocolate boy! Get me a tissue too!" which effectively made me choke on my smoothie and the whole café silent.

Sting laughed, "Looks like I was a bit too loud," To this, Rogue threw a rag cloth with landed perfectly on Sting's face. Everyone on the table burst out laughing at Sting's gagging face.

The thing was; Rogue was looking out for me.

The others on the table could only see all this with awe and amusement.

"It's surprising that Rogue brought Lucy to the café." Minerva said suddenly. Mrs. Cheney had said something similar to that. Even though it wasn't true, it caught my interest.

"Why is that so?" I asked, taking a sip of my smoothie.

"Rogue doesn't like it when girls ogle at him in the café." Minerva explained. I almost spit my drink out. "He finds it awkward and annoying." Crap. I hope he didn't find me staring at him.

"So…chocolate boy?" I raised a brow.

"As per my memory, Rogue hates anyone who calls him that," Rufus looked pointedly at Sting. "Another reason he hates bringing anyone here."

I could only think of how adorable it was that the tough and expressionless Rogue owned a bakery. I laughed inwardly.

"That doesn't make sense." Sting played with his spoon. "I'd _love_ the attention,"

"Well, not everybody's like you, Sting," Rufus smirked.

"I would hold a rock concert for my fans," Orga slammed the table.

"If you had any," Minerva said rolling her eyes but laughed anyway.

"But, I'm sure he'll make an exception," Yukino whispered to me, and smiled knowingly, effectively eliciting and jaw drop from me.

* * *

Finally, when Rogue's work was done, he was shooed away by his mother, stating that she'll handle the rest. My new friends were but most reluctant to part with us, and insisted on meeting and hanging out more. The sun was slowly dipping westwards bringing the long day to an end.

We were back to heading to Clover Library when I noticed a bicycle parked on the curb, and nobody was around. I recalled the movie scene of the cycle rush, and I had the irrational urge to try it since I was so elated. Being the impulsive girl I am, I declared, "I am going to ride that cycle."

"What?" Rogue raised his eyebrows and looked around and then understood what I was implying. "Oh no. You're not serious, are you?" He asked in disbelief.

"I'm hundred percent serious." I said eyeing the cycle like a hawk.

"I won't let you." Rogue crossed his arms.

"Oh yeah? Watch me," I made a mad dash to the cycle and immediately got over it before Rogue could catch me. I paddled around in circles as he protested, "This is equal to robbery!"

"No its not! I'm just borrowing it for a while!" I defended.

"Oh really? With whose permission?" Rogue asked.

"Gosh, Rogue! Are you getting on or what?" I asked, grinning madly. When Rogue hesitated, I said the movie line, "Hey, you gonna hitch this ride or do I drag you by the collar and leave you chasing behind?"

That washed any hesitation from Rogue as he climbed on the seat behind me. My excitement was unbearable. I cycled around on the empty road and soon I was speeding at an alarming rate.

"You're going too fast!" Rogue said.

"Hold on!" I yelled, still feeling the adrenaline rush. Then everything happened simultaneously. Rogue placed his hands on my shoulders, his touch eliciting an electric shock through my body. I heard somebody yell behind, "Oi! What are you two doing on my cycle?!" I turned to see a buff, bald man shaking his fists in an angry manner. He did not look pleased. Both of this distracted me so much, that I lost track of where the cycle was going. I screamed my head off as the cycle rolled downhill at the speed of a rollercoaster. Well, it was unexpected okay? Can you blame me? I guess you can.

Rogue immediately put his hands on the brakes of the cycle, but he couldn't get a proper grip, so we crash landed. We were thrown off as the cycle fell on one side of the road, and I landed right on top of Rogue. He held me in his arms, covering me from the fall. Or rather, _protecting_ me by taking the impact of the fall.

I recovered my senses immediately, as worry and guilt filled me, "Rogue? Rogue, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he said with a bit of an effort.

The bald man came storming, and for a moment I considered running away, because if it were to turn into a fist fight, we wouldn't stand a chance. Not that I was underestimating my beginner's level Karate skill or Rogue's muscular strength.

"You two! Just what do you think you were doing?" the man yelled. "Who gave you the permission to use my cycle? Huh? And look at its condition!" One of the cycle's wheels had popped out and some of its parts had fallen apart.

I was feeling completely ashamed by now. It was entirely my fault. I built up an apology, "I'm really sorry, sir, it was my-"

"If you two think you are going to get away with this easily, then you are mistaken, you hear me! You don't know who _I_ am!" he bellowed, making me flinch at his tone. Fear filled me as I realized the depth of the situation. I had destroyed someone's property as a legal adult. I was about to own up when Rogue stepped in front of me and said, "It is my fault, sir. I duly apologize to the inconvenience caused. It was my idea to use your cycle,"

"And may I know why exactly?" he asked furiously.

"No it was-!" I was cut off again by Rogue, "I just thought it would be fun." Rogue said with his calm expression.

"You little!" I watched in horror as the man came forward and grabbed Rogue by his collar and punched him square in the face.

I gasped, "Stop! Please sir!" I begged.

"I am truly sorry, sir. I am willing to pay for your losses." Rogue said sincerely.

"Well you better as hell be!" the man yelled and released Rogue roughly, and he wobbled a little.

He took almost all of Rogue's money and left with his broken cycle. I couldn't bare it. It was all my idea, my mistake, my _clumsiness._ And Rogue had taken the consequences for something I did.

"Are you okay?" Rogue asked me, looking unfazed. How could he ask me that? _He_ had been punched in the face. That should be my question. His teeth had almost been knocked out. Such a wonderful day was turning into an ugly nightmare, and it was my fault. I couldn't look at him. "Lucy?" Rogue asked tentatively.

"Why?" my voice came out as a whisper. "Why did you do it?" When he didn't reply, I clenched my fists and my voice gained volume, "It was clearly my fault! You warned me, but I was just stubborn and idiotic! Why didn't you let me fall and break a leg? Why didn't you let me get punched? Why aren't you angry at me? Why? Answer me!" I yelled.

"Because I don't want you to get hurt." Rogue said.

Tears filled my eyes, and I was choking back sobs, emotions taking control of me. His words touched my heart, because he was being _so kind,_ I couldn't bare it any longer. I felt arms wrap around me gently. Rogue was hugging me.

"I'm sorry, Rogue," I said through my sobs. "I'm so stupid,"

"Lucy, please don't cry." He whispered softly, so tenderly, it made me cry even more. He continued to hold me.

"Rogue, do you think I'm an idiot?" I asked, still looking at my feet. "Don't hesitate to tell me! Do you…Do you hate me?" I asked miserably.

Rogue pulled back and lifted my chin, making me face him. He held a smile on his face, "I don't think you are an idiot. And I have never, and will never hate you."

I could never doubt the truth of those words, for it filled me with a feeling of warmth and undoubtedly, a feeling of love.

* * *

After I had smeared off my eyeliner, we decided that we would go to the Clover Library some other day, since it was getting late anyway. The summer sun was already gone, leaving behind a half moon. The street lights had already flickered on, lighting the path before us. Like the gentleman Rogue is, he was adamant on dropping me home. I insisted that I would manage going home safely, and that he should go home immediately, but he just wouldn't settle.

"Rogue, I memorized the way, I'll reach home within a few minutes." I said. "You should go home and rest!"

"If it takes just a few minutes then there's no problem for me to come along." Rogue said stubbornly.

"Your cheek is beginning to swell!" I cried and sure enough, a swelling was developing on his cheek, just below his eye, where he had been punched.

"This is nothing," Rogue waved it off like it was a scratch.

I stood rooted to my place. "I'm not moving unless you go home the other way,"

Rogue sighed. "Fine."

I smiled with satisfaction, "Good. Now go home and-"Without any warning, Rogue lifted me off my feet and began jogging down the lane.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" I shrieked.

"Since you won't listen, this was the only way," Rogue reasoned. The people on the street gave us looks of surprise.

My ears felt hot, "P-Put me down! You're hurt and people are looking!"

"Don't worry. Besides, this way it'll be faster." Rogue continued and pulled me closer.

My heart rate was increasing by each passing moment. "I can walk, you idiot!" I yelled.

He stopped and put me down. "T-Thanks…and sorry for yelling," I said nervously. To my surprise, he laughed, leaving my jaw drooping on the floor. In spite of his bruised face, he looked handsome when he laughed.

"Shall we go, your highness?" he said mockingly. He left me jaw dropped _and_ blushing.

"Geez, you're so stubborn!" I pouted, still blushing.

"What can I say? I guess you are rubbing off on me," Rogue showed me his brilliant white teeth. I couldn't believe that he had it in him to be cheeky after he had been punched because of me.

"Sh-Shut up. If you haven't had enough, I'll punch you again," I said playfully.

"I'd like to see you try," Rogue laughed.

We walked in silence through the forest, and to be honest, I was glad he was with me because it was dark in the forest, and the snapping of the branches was unnerving. Finally, after we crossed the wooden stairs and the sound of flowing water, the trees parted to the barn and the mansion.

The porch light was off but the lights in the other rooms were on. Upon coming closer, I could hear loud sounds from the TV. We stopped at the porch steps and stood in silence, neither of us saying anything.

"A date, huh." I mumbled.

"Everyone went on assuming. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding. I should I explained it better." Rogue told me.

"I don't mind." I said silently.

"Don't mind what?" Rogue asked.

I lowered my head slightly, "I don't mind it to be called a date." There was silence, which was starting to make me feel awkward about saying anything at all.

"I don't mind either." Rogue replied. There was a warm breeze, to which my hair sailed. I found myself smiling like a dork.

"There's a festival coming up in town…" Rogue started. "Would you like to go with me?"

"I'd love to." I replied, already dancing in excitement in my head.

"Because it's a date?" he asked.

"Because I like to spend time with you." I grinned.

Rogue smiled his sweet, calm smile, "Okay."

Maybe it was the darkness which gave me the confidence as I stood on my toes and kissed Rogue's wounded cheek and I had the satisfaction of seeing his flustered face. "I hope it gets better soon."

I climbed the porch and before opening the door, I turned to Rogue who stood planted on the same spot, "Thank you. I will never forget this day."

I walked in, climbed the stairs to my room and closed the door only to melt into a puddle on the floor, reflecting on everything that had happened today.

* * *

A/N: an update from hell. because that's where I am  
WILD FOUR! here's chapter 4! Let me know what you think (:


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